Walk in a mad Wonderland
by iram0123
Summary: Lily was separated from Cass. She does not know where her friend is in this strange world, but does her best to find her. Only then, may they may go home. But who is to say that this will be easy? Especially, when everyone in Wonderland is mad and when everything in it is terrifying. Who can say that when Lily finds Cass there won't be anyone stopping them from leaving?
1. Chapter 1: Fall down to unknown

Chapter 1

Fall down to unknown

* * *

"Now, we have around five to six hours before the workers kick us out, so lets go!" Cass enthusiastically starts walking towards the old, grey building with the most innocent-like spring in her steps. However, before she can even reach an old oak tree, her pink haired head turns towards me. "C'mon, Lily! Hurry!"

"I'm trying, but my feet huuuuurt," I drag out the world in utter exhaustion and slump forward. My steps are unlike my friend's. "Did we have to walk all the way here? Couldn't we have taken a buss or something?"

Cass raises an amused eyebrow. "Oh, shush it! You know I get inspired after a little walk."

"You do. But what about me?" I grumble under my breath and pick up my pace, almost tripping over the grumbled, stone pathway.

I watch as my friend continues skipping ahead, the pink, flowing skirt looking awfully childish against her knee-length jeans and a yellow shirt with green lined flowers on it. The short pink hair with many layers is like a cherry on top of colorful pastries. Dark, light and medium shades of light rose melt together every time their owner jumps up with light steps and even my own eyes start to hurt from just watching the mass of colors. But I make a mistake and look down to see brown leather boots and deadpan. Of all pieces of Cass's outfit, those two pairs seemed to be normal enough.

Despite the exasperatingly loud colors, the style suits her. It certainly matches her personality in many ways than one.

The wooden, shockingly blue pearls rattle around my friend's neck, when she once again turns around to face me. "Come on now, slowpoke!"

"Fine, fine," I sigh and jog to her. "When this is over, you owe me a lunch."

"Roger!" She mock salutes at me and then looks up at the building. I do the same.

The building is so beautiful, even I have to admit it. But I also feel a little uneasy, because it reminds me of a house in a horror movie. The nature has almost completely taken over the outer walls of the white stone. It keeps climbing up to the dark roof filled with holes and birds' nests. The windows have no glass anymore and let everything in along with the sunlight. The wooden, double doors serve also no protection for whatever is inside, because they both have both fallen ages ago down to the ground. The wood is decayed and some moss grows on top of it.

This place doesn't look bad, though. It is under the protection of the city and has been guarded from street painters to drugs abusing hooligans for many years. Old buildings like these are fewer and fewer in a modern world of England, but sadly they all have the same end. The city doesn't want to protect it anymore, because it truly is near a collapsing-point. Even though I almost never have stepped a foot this close to it, the fact that soon this tiny piece of history would be gone made me feel a little disappointed. Nobody builds these kind of things anymore. People like to live in boxes, rather than in something more natural and elegant.

When me and Cass don't move for a while, I open my mouth. "So, this is your art project?"

"Yup!" She pops the 'p'. "Now, I only need to find a perfect spot..."

"Is that old oak alright enough?" My finger points towards the said thing and Cass slowly turns her head to look at it. She gasps and turns to me with a serious glint in her eyes.

"It's _perfect_."

 _Scary._ That word nearly leaves from my mouth, but I keep it firmly inside and follow the colorful girl under the branches. Once she sits down, I sit down next to her and lean against the brown trunk. The sound of her opening pages from her notebook fills the silent air along with the chirping of the birds. I glance at her hand to see it tracing soft lines with a pencil, leaving its marks gently on the white surface.

"How are your cooking classes coming along?" Cass absurdly asks, not even lifting her gaze from the paper.

"Well, good, I guess," I answer and let out a sigh. "The teacher is strict, however. You make one mistake and that woman goes off like a siren in a middle of a chemistry class because someone mixed wrong chemicals. She says: "Your sauce is too bland. Even the school cafeteria can make it better" and I want to say back: "Sausage cane, will you please shut up for once? Yours looks like dog brownies mixed with mud and sprinkles of cheese." I swear, she will someday poison our food. The other day, she gave me a minus point from putting frosting on a cake in a "wrong" way. Bah! There was nothing wrong with it in the first place, Cass! She started to complain about the angle and I wanted to shove that frosting down her throat at that point."

"Hmm..." The pink haired girl hums, looks up at the building for a moment, before turning her attention back down.

"At least your teacher is nice to compliment my art skills. Once, I drew a flower and she said it looked like a perfect version of modern art! I just love her! She is much better than Mrs. Grumpy-muffin."

"Hmm..." Cass hums again and purses her lips.

"Are you even listening?"

"Sure I am. Something about muffins?"

"You're hopeless!" I groan with exasperation on my tone, but then lay down on the ground. The grass tickles the skin of my cheeks and there is a root hidden by a thin layer of earth under my back. It is uncomfortable, but I simply settle on looking up at the green leaves. When Cass is drawing, her attention is hard to gain. I should have known better. "How about you?"

"Hm?" Orbs filled with grey and blue finally manage to glance at me.

"Your classes?"

"...Oh! Yeah! Yes, I am doing fine, too. I just really want to make this my best work, though."

"Well, you can do it," I say with a smile and look back up. "I like your drawings."

"There are much better ones out there," her words come out steadily, but there is a slight edge to it.

I nearly sit up from that and look fully at her side-profile. "No, no, nope! Don't start this with me, Cassie-Cat! You're not going to the depression area right now. You know that I was a hopeless case, when I started cooking and I have improved. A lot. So much that it could even break the world records of the best improvement in the world. Jiggers, even kittens' adorableness has much lower record than mine. I should really be put to the list...We are getting a little off of the topic now. But my point is this: Your drawings will become so amazing that you'll spend rest of your life in a huge mansion. Much bigger than this one, with your cup of tea, cat called Jerry and sixteen grandchildren. If even Mrs. Martins can't see how good you will become, she is my enemy teacher number one no matter how she compliments my drawings."

Cass lets out a laugh that is choked by a huff she tries to form. "Since when do you decide how many grandkids I will have?"

"Since few moths ago, actually," I say and then think about something. "No, you shouldn't get yourself a cat. You should get a goldfish."

The pink haired girl laughs and shakes her head. She goes back to drawing, but this time she has a small smile on her lips.

 _Good. One good deed in a day, done._ I also smile and go back to staring up. Honestly, I feel a little jealous of Cass. Of her art skills that is. Anyone who was better than me at it deserves that praise.

After a while of laying around, I turn to my stomach and rest my head on my arms. My eyes linger on the mansion for a while, before sliding down to the ground in boredom. The mansion truly reminded me of a one from a horror story. I can't even look towards one of the windows without imagining some kind of ghost peeking out. A shiver goes down my spine from those kind of images. It was this kind of reason that made me feel hesitant to come here. Cass had not given me any warning, when she texted me few days ago. Asking for me to accompany her to this place. Of course, I don't really have anything to do this week, so I said yes.

 _Still, I could have said no. It's not like I am a fan of art._ I close my eyes and try to relax against the hard ground.

"You know, I did some research on this building and found out something interesting," Cass starts, interrupting the silence between us. "It seems that it has been around since 19th century. According to what I read, the family that lived in it wasn't considered to be that high in noble ranks."

This piece of information makes my eyes snap wide open. "Seriously? This place is this big and you're telling me that "real" nobles didn't actually live here?"

"Yes. It seems that they earned their rank with their work," she explains. "Though, there is also this story..."

"A story?" I ask and open my eyes, sitting up to face Cass. Pieces of grass fall down from my purple hoodie and I brush them off. "Tell me."

"It seems like during that time the owner of this place had three daughters. One died from an illness, when she was a very young adult and the second one disappeared few years after."

"D-disappeared?" I ask, blinking. Somehow, I feel like I will not like this story at all.

Cass nods gravely, her whole façade serious. But the corners of her mouth twitch up. "Yes. The story goes that she was killed inside this mansion..." To add some dramatic effects, she gestures towards the hauntingly still building. "Her body, however, was never found. In fact, it is said the servants knew that one of their young ladies was murdered, but did nothing to inform the authorities not the master of the house. So, her body was left to rot somewhere in the building and the smell was hid carefully. In the end, she was finally declared dead after months of searching, despite being dead a long time ago."

The pink haired girl has raised her hands to make spooky movements with her fingers and I cringe from horrible thoughts that enter my mind. I could already see the corpse of a beautiful, young lady. White skin melting away like a candle wax and eyeballs falling deep into the skull.

"And it wasn't until years later that the youngest daughter finally found it. But when more people came to look..." A dramatic pause. "The corpse was-"

Both of my hands shot up to cover my ears. "I don't want to hear! Lalalala! I am not hearing anything!"

Cass laughed and grabbed both of my arms, her notebook forgotten. "And the corpse was-!"

"Shut it!" I yell and cover her mouth, only to feel something wet against it. I jerk back violently. "Ew! D-did you just lick me!? Are you seven or something!?"

The pink haired girl lets out a laugh and ducks, when I try to leap at her. She stands up and grabs her stuff quickly, while I struggle to stand up and get my revenge on her.

"Real mature!" I yell, but see her back towards me. Cass is running towards the left end of the building. "Come back so I can end you!"

"No way! I will go searching a better place too draw!" She yells back over her shoulder and starts running even faster. "Have fun with a ghost!"

I actually almost freeze to the spot, but feel sensations of fear and anger boil and cool my face at the same time. My legs start to move even faster. "I said come back!"

The last thing I see of my friend is the hem of her skirt disappearing behind the trees and bushes. I follow her in there, feeling how the branches scratch against the side of jeans and shoes. The gardens and woods hadn't been taken care of for years, so it was almost like stepping into a jungle. The grass is even longer than in the open yard and I crush it under my feet. The sticks break under my weight and I can hear Cass advancing forward further ahead from me. She is laughing and I can see the glimpses of her bright colored hair blinking between the brown trunks.

 _Hah! There is no way that she can hide with colors like those!_ I grin, already imagining how I would tackle her. _And she wanted some piece and quiet. Pft! Yeah, right._

The bright sunlight shines against my eyes, blinding me for a second. Some colorful spots appear on my vision, but then they fade away. However, no matter how harshly I push away the bushes and everything ahead, I can't seem to gain on my friend. Though, she has dropped one of her sketches and I pick it up, folding the piece of paper into my pocket. She had left me a clue without knowing it.

I continue running few meters ahead, picking up few other pieces of papers and putting them into the same place. She must have been really desperate to get away from me. Well, Cass has known me for years, so it is no wonder. Last time, I nearly choked her from tickling too much. This time, she would get no less. Somehow, I had predicted that things would end up this way and I find myself grinning evilly from further thoughts of what will soon happen.

However, no matter how much further I go, Cass is nowhere in sight. Everything around me is green, like literally. The trees and bushes along with really long grass block any kind of sighting of the steady ground. I turn around to look at the direction where I had come from and am relieved to notice the path I had created from stomping down on the grass. Cass had left those kind of marks as well, but...

"Cass! Cass! Where are you!? Come on out!" I yell and scare off few birds. But, I receive nothing else for an answer.

Now worried, I start to turn around. Trying to catch even a glimpse of something else other than green and brown. Panic rises inside of my gut and I stay on the same spot for a while, but then take few steps forward and lock my gaze on the ground. The flattened grass continues for a while towards few trees and I follow it urgently, calling out for my friend as loudly as I can.

"Cass! This isn't funny! Lets go back, now!"

When I finally come to the spot where the path ends, I feel flabbergasted from seeing nothing, but more trees.

"Cass!" My body whirls around naturally, air moves quicker in and out of my lungs. I can't believe that I lost my best friend in the woods.

 _Alright. Just stay calm. Do not panic, do not panic, do not panic!_ I start to feel lightheaded and keep turning around. _Call the police! No, the army! No, the FBI! Quickly!_ I can't stop my fingers from trembling, when I try to reach out to my phone. It's slippery from sweat that was caused by running and now panic. The vast forest feels suffocating all of sudden.

 _The number is 998- No! 999, that is it!_ The tip of my finger trembles, as it presses the first numbers. The phone starts beeping and I rub my free, sweaty hand against the side of my jeans.

"C'mon, c'mon! Pick up already!" My heartbeat is going wild and I glance around, hoping that this is just a bad dream.

I open my mouth ready to call out to Cass once again, take one step forward and that is exactly how I feel my foot sink into something soft. Both mortified and confused from what I have stepped on, cold sweat runs down my back and then the gravity takes a hold of me. I can't even react properly to what is happening, when I am already falling into the dark. My whole world is turning upside down and the strands of my dark brown hair whip around the place. I scream, my hold almost slipping away from the phone.

"Kyaaaaahh!" The scream that tears out of my throat doesn't feel like it reaches the surface and I am left staring widely at the blue sky that becomes a small spot above.

Just few seconds ago I thought that Cass's disappearance was the worst thing that had happened today, but now that I was falling down something larger panic continues making me scream. My lungs feel like they are burning, as the air pushes against my back, but doesn't push me up to the surface where my feet should be standing. When I was little, there was this device in an amusement park where it took people up and then made a freefall down. Of course, I couldn't stay away from that and tried how it would feel. This felt exactly like that time, but I had nothing to hold on to or keep me on my seat. Though, I am screaming and feeling terrified.

After what felt like a while and the falling never stopped, I look down over my shoulder. But to my shock and horror, I see nothing but darkness waiting for me. I am falling into a pit and can only scream from this misfortune.

 _I'm going to die! I'm going to die! Oh my God!_ Tears actually escape from my eyes, as I fail around helplessly. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I don't want to die yet! When will my corpse be found in here, anyway!?_ If I was on a more solid ground, I would have thrown up from the fear of death. And it may have simply been the trick caused by my messy, screaming thoughts, but I think I saw a white light.

And then...

I crash on something hard and a choked cough leaves from my wide open lips. Instead of a white light, I see the clear blue sky again, even though there seems to be stars dancing here and there in my vision. I must have hit my head, too, because it is sparkling with intense, sharp pain. The air has been pushed out of me and I try gasping for air. Somewhere, a bird is singing and being unaware of my discomfort and miserable state.

"O-oh my...God," I manage to cough out, but my face twitches from the pain that shots through my head. Carefully, I roll to my side and raise my hand to my scalp, trying to search any kind of damage. That had felt like my skull had been cracked open.

When I found nothing wrong with my head, I try to sit up and see the environment around me. From the grass and the smell of trees around me, I can simply conclude that I am laying in a forest. Frowning from both confusion and aching bruises that are forming on my back, I look around for a while in hope of finding something that could make sense.

 _Was the fall all my imagination?_

"Ouch, ouch, ouch...Aah," I let out a strange whine, when I can't lift myself up from the ground. It sounds like a child's complain and I try moving my toes inside my shoes. I start to fear that it is not my head that got the biggest damage. Fortunately, my fears of a spine damage are for nothing, when I get up. However, I still hiss and rub my tender back as gently as possible. I even forget how to breathe from the amount of pain I am in.

 _Definitely not my imagination!_

Despite the pain, I am happy that I did not end into some kind of secret underground where mutants lived or people performed strange experiments on others. That would have been too traumatizing and creepy for me to handle calmly. However, ending up in another forest made less sense than those kind of things.

I shake my head, remembering that I am clutching the phone with dear life in my right hand. I have to call help for both me and Cass, wherever that girl has ended up to. Though, I am shaking from so much relief of not being dead that it is hard to even open my phone properly, again. However, my plan to call for help is soon crushed, when I see the empty bars of the connection looking right back at me from the screen. My eyes could bulge out of my skull at this point.

"No field? Really!? Is this a joke?" I look around, searching for any sort of hidden camera and then throw my hands up into the air in frustration. "I swear...Cass! Are you here!? Answer me!"

When a single bird only answers me, I let out a yell of irritation and ruffled my hair. The brown roots feel like they will be ripped off of my skull through, and I stop.

"Great. Just...great!" I start walking - _limping_ towards an unknown direction. Between few minutes, I glance at my phone hoping to see that the reception has returned, but get nothing.

Now, I have never been a great fan of woods or anything that will get in my way while walking. Especially now I am not in the mood for termites and sticks poking at me. I need to call help immediately, before my friend gets into something dangerous. Those stories she told me made me squirm and I picket up my pace while glancing around in distress. I can't believe that she made us run into this forest knowing that I hate ghost stories. She definitely knew that I will get spooked.

 _First, that girl invites me with her over a mile away from my house. Makes me even walk all the way. Tells me a scary story, licks me and then runs off like a coward. Now, I am in woods, without any ways of connecting anyone, probably somewhat lost, bruised, legs aching, my head hurting like rocks are raining on it and I have to walk until I find some kind of civilization... She is going to get it, when I find her or when the police do and hold me back from strangling her._

A bird flies out of a bush, actually startling me and I yelp. _Cass, wherever you are, pray that we won't meet soon!_

* * *

The more I walk, the more confused I am becoming. I remember some parts of what kind of forest the mansion had. It was very thick and somewhat messy. But this one had a different view to it. The trees were somewhat different from not standing too close, almost like someone had taken care of this place. I can't seem to find the path of flattened grass anywhere I look to nor do I see the old roof of that mansion. Which sounds crazy and unbelievable. There is no way I could have ended up in another place by falling down of some sort of hole.

I must have hit my head pretty hard, is the final option I come to and stick with that.

The forest continues on for a while, but then I finally come to a straight path. The relief I feel makes me almost want to collapse and I mentally start cheering from not loosing hope. Without even thinking, I run down the path and actually laugh, when I see a roof over the green trees. It isn't the mansion's, you can tell from the bright color, but I could care less. I remember seeing few houses on the way to that old place and this must be one of those. I can actually ask help from the people living there and get out of here!

"O-okay- Stay calm," I mumble under my breath and breathe in deeply. In situations where I am under pressure or have been having a really hard time, talking to myself usually helps. "Just stay calm and tell them what happened. That is how you are supposed to deal with these kind of situations. Don't freak out and start telling about that fall. Okay? Alright."

The closer the top of the roof came, more appeared. Different colored ones with different heights. The sound of the birds, something that I have grown tired of, changes into the chatter of people. I must have come to a small community of some sort and felt even more relieved. I especially start feeling how my face is being split from the giant smile on my face, when I can fully see the buildings from behind few trees.

 _Yes, yes, yes!_ I practically skip towards the town, not caring how stupid it might look. Who knew that mother's advice of trying to be calm would actually someday work? When this would be over, I will go and give her a big hug and thousand 'thank you' for tolerating me over a decade.

I look down at my phone and my smile almost falls from seeing that there is still no such thing as connection on it. _Well, let's hope that these people have some sort of form of communication._

"Wait up!" A child's voice yelled and then I saw how two little children appeared from behind a corner of one of the houses. The two little girl's were holding dolls in their hands and both of them had their hair up in cute pigtails. "Let's play princesses!"

"No! I want to have a tea party!" One of them with a dark purple dress stomps her foot down on the ground stubbornly.

Unconsciously, I have stopped running and look at the two children with curiosity. The one with the pink dress reminded me of Cass, for a second there. _Aw! They are so cute!_ I smile again, but it soon falls. I feel like my stomach has been punched through. And the reason is the little girl's eyes, or rather the lack of them. Both of the children have the same problem.

They have that small button nose, round face with baby fat, cut smiles on small lips and innocent air that any small child has. But only large orbs are missing. It's like looking at a human whose eyeballs have been covered perfectly with another set of skin. The girls have the eyebrows, but that does nothing to wipe away the creepiness of the whole thing. I find myself taking a shaky step back away from what I am seeing. _W-what the...? Is this real?_

I try to find any signs of the fact that I am simply seeing things again. I blink, pinch myself and close my eyes for a moment, but when all of those things are done the girls still don't have any eyes. But somehow, despite that, they still move around like they can see things. They face each other and move naturally like anyone with a sight. This makes me cover my mouth to prevent a terrified sound from coming out of it. My mind, that had been filled with so many thoughts before, has become completely blank.

The girls are laughing. They seem normal enough, expect for what they lack. However, it's way too much for a normal person to handle. Like me. My stomach is being poked by needles and I wish to cover my mouth for other reasons rather than screaming. I am feeling sick and downright horrified from what I am witnessing here.

 _Run..._ My hands start trembling and I clench them close to my chest. _I have to get away. **Now**. _

And those inner words work like a magic spell. I whirl around and bold, the image of those two girls' eyeless faces flashing in my eyes like a nightmare. My heartbeat is racing over the roof and cold sweat goes down my whole body, even when my mind becomes blank again and sees no reason to fear. The stories from Cass hit my memory harshly and the thoughts of the underground research facility make my skin crawl. To check that the latter isn't true, I look up at the sky. It isn't fake nor does it look like one. Even the wind on my face is real and the smell of my sweat is as real as it can get.

So, there is no mistaking about the fact that what I saw in those two girls had not been a hallucination. Or maybe it was? I had hit my head and it still hurts somewhat. Not to mention how sore my back is feeling. Now, when I am running, the muscles keep on screaming for me to stop. They are in pain from the fall, from moving too much.

 _Where is Cass!?_ I nearly cry out in total panic and stop absurdly. My hand reaches out to take a hold on a tree and my shoulders rise and fall with heavy breaths out of my mouth. Whatever I just saw doesn't matter that much anymore. I have to run, hide or find some help. But most importantly, I am not so sure anymore where this place is. Surely, if there are people walking around with no eyes, everyone would know it. But...I am sure now that there is no such thing as a small village anywhere near the mansion.

The tree gives a loud 'thud', when my forehead collides with its trunk. I am still breathing heavily, but won't acknowledge it. Rather, my mind is starting to hurt more than the stiff muscles do. I am trying to think straight, to figure things out and see reason. Naturally, that doesn't happen as easily as one would think.

My legs give up and I sink down to the ground knees first and arms wrapped around a tree, like it could give me some kind of support. The birds singing reminds me that those two girls are not the only ones in that town. There had been more people in there, but they are also probably like those children. The realization makes me tremble and I lose all the strength to stand up again. _I can't breathe!_

There is suddenly sound coming from the bushes. The leaves are moving and I jump like the tree has caught on fire. The quick movement without a thought naturally causes me to fall to my rear and stay there like a frozen rabbit. I have to get away, but I can't even stand, when something comes out to the road.

It's a man and he stops brushing leaves off of his bright red jacket, when he notices me on the ground. The only sound that leaves from him is a simple "Hm?", when he spots me on the ground.

I am frozen as well, but the expression on my face is more stiff than before. Cold chills go down my spine from just trying not to burst out crying here and now. Not only does this man's outfit hurt my eyes with its brightness, like with Cass, but his _eyes_ are the same color. Red, which sets me off for a second. He isn't like those little girls. He is a _normal_ person. At least, that is what I think he is.

"U-um..." is the only thing I can say right now. My voice sounds extremely shaky.

However, instead of staring at me again, a smile spreads on his lips and he tilts his head in confusion. "Who are you? Are you a new mouse?"

The question throws me off, much like his sudden appearance. I stare back at him, baffled. "W-what...?"

"Hm? You're not?" His smile drops for a second and it gives his features a 'thinking-look'. "You don't have ears, so I guess not."

 _N-no ears?_ I reach out to my right ear from pure instinct. To my new relief, it is still there and so is my other ear. I look back up at the stranger who is still looking to be in his thoughts. _What is he talking about? And what is this about me being a new mouse?_

"Well!" He suddenly smiles and places both of his hands on his hips. "That is good, then. It would be a real shame, if I don't get to kill him first. Hahaha!"

I am certain that my face pales many shades, as I stare at him widely. _W-what did he just say...?_

Slowly, quietly, I rise up. The stranger keeps on laughing for a while, but stops, when I am fully standing on my own two feet. This isn't good for me, though. I am stiff, suspicious and ready to make a run for it.

"C-can I ask you where we are?" My voice won't stop trembling and I nearly choke on the lump in my throat that I swallow.

The red eyes blink down at me in confusion. "You don't know?"

"No," I answer much more calmly. "I was simply with my friend, but then she disappeared and I got lost."

 _I_ _have to get it together._

I manage to smile weakly. "Rather, are we in England anymore?"

The man takes his time to look at me and I feel uncomfortable under his stare. It isn't intense, simply curious and calm. He even has a pleasant smile on his face. I am not sure, if I am feeling better because he has eyes or the heavy thoughts are leaving from my head along with this conversation. But the trembling gradually fades. It is still there, though.

Out of nowhere, the man steps closer and I become stiff as a rock. He lowers his face and I take a step back. At least try to.

"W-what?!"

His arms wrap around me and the action breaks any sense of calmness I have gathered so far. However, he keeps on smiling the same way and holds my gaze on the same eyelevel for a second, before lowering his head even further.

"HEY! Get off!" I shriek and try to pull away. The arms around me are strong as steel, though.

"Let me listen a bit," he says simply and presses his ear against the left side of my chest.

I won't lie, I feel easily flustered from close physical contact done by males. This, however, is on a completely different level for me. So, my face heats up. The coldness I felt from shock, fear and worry melt, but not in a good way. However, I feel no such thing as embarrassment or shyness. Far from that, because I am actually quite livid and outraged.

"What is wrong with you!? I said to get off! You pervert! Sexual harasser! I will call the cops!" I scream and squirm in his hold, but the male won't budge even an inch.

"Hahaha! Relax! I am not doing anything bad."

"N-not anything bad!? You really are crazy!"

 _Help, help, help, help, help! Somebody just do something about **this**! _I choke, when the face is pressed even closer to my chest and the man's smile widens. I can't even hit him with the position I am in. My arms are trapped against my sides with the stranger's arms around them as well.

"This sound..." he says it more to himself than to me. That is how it sounds like. "A heartbeat. You're an outsider, then?"

"Outsider?" I repeat with an angry frown and glare down at him. "Of course I have a heartbeat. Otherwise I would be dead!"

He lifts his face up to look at me and thankfully takes his ear off of my chest. His pleasant smile is wider and the man before me starts looking like an excited kid. It doesn't help that he is still crouching so I am the taller one.

Suddenly, he starts laughing and the arms around me loosen. I take this opportunity and tear myself away from the red cloaked man. It is a surprise that I am able to get away, because a second ago his hold was so strong. He could easily pull me back and that scares me. I watch as the man rises to his full height and find myself almost shrinking. He is so much taller than me.

He smiles, completely obvious to the glare he is receiving. "What a luck I have today! Who would have thought that I would meet with an outsider? Hey, what is your name?"

 _That's it. I have to get away._ Taking another step back I back away from the suspicious man. "None of your business! Go away!"

"Why would I do that?"

"Fine! I will do it myself!" He doesn't get to say anything else, when I am already running away.

"Wait up!"

"No way!" I glance over my shoulder to give him the final glare. But my eyes widen in horror, when I see him running right next to me rather easily.

He flashes me another one of those bright smiles. "Where are we going?"

 _What do you mean by we!?_ I stop immediately and so does he. I raise both of my hands to keep him at bay and back away two, huge steps. I have never been in a situation like this one with a completely weird, pervert stranger. I am unsure what to do and that scares me more than anything. If there was a way to contact authorities or call for other sort of help, I would do it. But now, those kind of things are pretty much impossible to make possible.

Taking in a deep breath, I composed myself. "Look buddy. I don't know what you think you are doing, but don't follow me. I have a friend to find along with sensible civilization and people. So, can you _please_ go away?"

But somehow, my tone and words have no affect on this man. He continues smiling. "Now, don't be like that. You mentioned your friend, right? Isn't there a possibility that she is somewhere here as well, if you ended up in this place?"

"Of course we ended up in the same place. We were running around in the forest and she probably also got lost. So, by-bye!" I wave a hand at him and am ready to turn around. To get away from him.

"I will help you."

Those are the words that cause me to freeze probably for the tenth time in a day. My eyes drag themselves from the side to look up at the red orbs that stare right back at me straight-forwardly. The smile is intact, but the man has gotten suddenly much closer than before. He must have done it as soon as I took my attention away from him. I am less than two feet away from him, now.

 _I shouldn't trust him..._ My eyes narrow and I take another few steps back. He follows, making me feel cornered.

"I am Ace, the Knight of the Heart Castle. So, as a knight, I will help you," he says it so pleasantly. The smile is the same as his tone.

If he hadn't done what he had a while ago, I would consider his offer more carefully. Like I find myself describing his manner of smiling many times, it is pleasant. Very much so. He would look like a normal, friendly type. But in my eyes right now, I do not like him that much and find his willingness to help a stranger very suspicious. He has to have a motive to do this and based on his hugging from earlier only bad thoughts fill my head. What was he doing in this forest in the first place? I don't think that the hunting season has started nor that anyone is allowed to hunt in here. The red eyed man doesn't carry a weapon of any sort, but you can never be sure.

As for Cass, I didn't really need any help to find her. If I really want to, I should gather more people for help rather than one person. _So, what true reason do I even have to have him tag along?_ I should be safe rather than sorry later. It isn't like I am in a real mortal danger around here. Expect maybe with bears, wolves-

The eyeless faces came back to me and I stop breathing. My already stiff muscles tighten further. _That's right. Animals aren't the only things I should worry about now._

My thoughts stop there, when a gloved hand grabs mine and starts pulling forward.

"It's settled, then. Without further ado, let's go!"

I turn pale, digging my heels to the ground in desperation. "N-no way! I haven't said anything yet! Let go already!"

"It's alright. You can trust me. It would be too dangerous for you to wander around alone," he says with genuine tone, as he looks at me over his shoulder.

I don't buy it and continue struggling against his iron hold. _The first chance I get, I am making a run for it!_


	2. Chapter 2: Frozen image

Chapter 2

Frozen image

* * *

"Would you let go already?" I groan out, too tired to even raise my voice anymore. "You're going to pull my arm off soon."

Ace looks at me over his shoulder with a smile. "But, if I let go, you will try to run away."

I flinch from how right he is about that. He has done nothing, but smiled, been obnoxious and dragged me across the forest the gods know how long. And every time I have tried to get my arm back the grip around the wrist tightens and the escape becomes impossible. One would think that Ace could get too distracted at some point or get tired of walking and dragging a stranger with him around the place, but no. He has been cheerful to this moment and hums a merry tune, quite loudly, and even insists on keeping my hand to himself.

Compared to him, I am like a slug who has gone only few feet ahead and is out of breath. Also, I am afraid there is a bruise forming on the spot where Ace is holding me. Not to mention how my side is throbbing from the fall I took, but there is no way that I will take a look at it with a male around. _But honestly, where are we going. Does he even **know** where he is heading to? _

It is strange. Ace keeps walking confidentially, but there have been moments, when he absurdly makes sharp turns to either left or right. And there isn't even a path he is following. Instead, he breaks through bushes and tree lines like there is nothing wrong with that. I brought this up in confusion at one point, but the brown haired male simply brushed it off while laughing and waving his hand dismissingly.

 _"Don't worry! I know my way around. Have some more faith,"_ is what he said. But I am not sure anymore, if he truly meant what he said.

"Are we lost?" I have the guts to finally ask.

"Of course not."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

Ace continues smiling. "...Yes."

Naturally, my face forms a frown. _He sure took some time to answer. Can I really trust him on this?_ I let out a heavy sigh and stop in total exhaustion. Usually, I can deal with cheerful people like this, I have Cass as a living proof. But there is something about Ace that simply is pissing me off and making me feel uneasy. It's so weird, to meet someone who is even more forward and blunt with actions like my best friend. And it scares me. _Well, I didn't start screaming and kicking him, when he started to drag me around the woods._

My feet stop walking and so do Ace's. It is a surprise, because when I tried doing this some time ago, he hadn't stopped. I look up at his smiling face and he tilts his head, when I don't say anything.

"What is wrong? Are you tired?" He asks and faces me fully.

The deadpan look on my face could rival my mother's. "Yes. Not to mention my hand is hurting," I demonstrate by trying to pull away without avail. "And, I still don't know where we are- Look, just tell me honestly, if we are lost."

Now Ace looks confused. "But I told you we aren't."

"We are in the middle of nowhere!" I gesture around the trees. "We have been walking for maybe hours now, I am tired, hungry and I still haven't found my friend! I-I don't- I don't have a time for this! I don't have time to wander around while she could be in trouble!"

However, it seems that my outburst has no effect on the smiling brunette. "If you are hungry, you should have said so! I have some food with me."

Ace lets go of my arm easily and walks few feet ahead, before crouching down and rummaging through his jacket. I stand flabbergasted and unable to utter a single sound from my half-open mouth and stare at his back with wide eyes. After all that tugging, complaining and whining, this is what gets him to let go? And out of all those things I have said, he gets only that I am hungry?

It may be stress, anxiety and tiredness which finally come to get me, because I start to rub my face and slump down to the ground. _I give up, I give up. I just give up with this man. Even Cass wouldn't be able to handle him, maybe. I hope I will never know, if they will ever meet._ I shiver from the thought, but start to chuckle under my breath. This whole situation is just absurd. I could have cracked my head open, gotten myself kidnapped or raped, but all I got is insensible oaf who is concerned of my stomach. Actually, I am thinking about tasting this 'food' he is about to offer me, not caring if it is poisoned or not.

However, I soon freeze and shot my head up to see that Ace hasn't moved from his spot. What am I honestly thinking? I am finally free! I can run and get help by myself! Yet, here I am, sitting on the ground and laughing like a fool. I have to really get away before I forget my reason for trying to hurry in the first place.

But then, I remember those little girls I saw. Their eyeless, smiling faces are something I managed to forget at some point during the walk.

A chill travels down my spine and I wrap my hands tighter around myself. _Maybe I was simply seeing things? They were somewhat far away and my eyesight has lately gotten worse from watching too many_ _movies from the laptop. Yes, that must be it. Or the hit I got to my head caused hallucinations!_

As if trying to reassure that my thoughts are right, I nod few times and stand up. The breaths I take are a bit shaky and my heartbeat is ringing in my ears. I thought that Ace's trick of dragging me around has caused enough fear and worry for me to forget all the others, but it didn't. The thing that I am fearing the most is seeing that my 'hallucinations' hadn't been the trick of my eyes. Reassuring myself otherwise doesn't have an effect.

"Hey, gloomy mouse, could you lend me a hand?" Ace suddenly calls and I raise my eyes from the ground to see him holding some metal sticks and a large, green fabric. He seems to be hallway of putting it up and after blinking few times I realize that it is a tent.

"Where did you get those?" Is the first thing which comes out of my mouth.

Ace looks confused for a moment again, but then he smiles and looks down at the things he is holding. He must have understood what I meant. "I have been carrying these the whole time. You never know, when you will need to set up a camp."

I bristle and look at him with disbelief. "Are you nuts? Why would you need to set up a camp?"

"Because it will be a nighttime soon. Now, will you help me- oh. Never mind. I got it!" Ace smiles at me, before he starts working on the tent.

If this is how most people feel around me and Cass, I am starting to understand and pity them. For the second time, I don't know what to say and look up at the sky. The sun is shining brightly, the blue color melts with white clouds and the birds sing like there is no tomorrow. Then, very slowly, I look at Ace who has started humming a tune which has no rhythm or note rule.

"What are you talking about? The sun is still high and it isn't even an evening yet," I say as calmly as I am able to. "If you insist on this, I will take my leave. So, goodbye."

Ace doesn't say anything, as I turn around to walk away. This kind of scares me, because he had been so insisted on following me around before. It doesn't make any sense and I fight an urge to glance back towards him. The humming has stopped, so I don't exactly know, if he is still putting up a tent. My stomach clenches from the silence he is creating and that is broken by my steps against the forest floor. I wish he could go back to humming and stop making me feel uneasy.

 _It isn't like he is going to stab me from behind, right?_ Taken over my a cold chill, I carefully glance over my shoulder after walking few feet.

Ace is still there, with a smile, and waves at me. If possible, there is a sun in his expression.

I stiffen and turn my head away. _Forget him doing that. Just walk!_

But I am never able to take another step, when everything becomes darker. For a moment, I think I feel something shift in the air. It's strange, but the reason is clear, when my eyes widen and see what is happening in the sky. It's like a dark blanket starts to draw away the blue sky and in a blink the day has shifted to night and I am looking up at the stars. They twinkle and look incredibly pretty and that is the reason why I am left standing on my spot in wonder for a while... Until I fully comprehend what has occurred and my jaw drops heavily.

If I thought that I have had hard time understanding things lately, then I have been skipping in a park. My skin feels like it is being drained from all the color it has and the sound of my heart is like listening to drums. For a second, I almost loose my balance, but regain my footing and simply arc my neck even further to look up at the sky in pure shock.

 _W-w-w-w-w-what the!?_

"W-w-w-w-w-what the marshmallow!?" My inner thoughts come out of my mouth faster than I can think and I whirl around to see Ace finishing his tent in peaceful silence that has lasted around thirty seconds. "Hey! You! Ace! What is this all about!? What happened to the sky?"

He looks at me again with the smile on his face and lets out a laugh. "Hahaha! Your face looks funny!"

My entire skin turns red, I can feel its heat all the way to the tips of my ears. "Shut up! I asked you what happened to the sky! The sun was just up and n-now it isn't!"

"The time just changed from afternoon to night. It isn't anything new, though," he shrugs nonchalantly and looks at his handiwork quite satisfied with how it looks.

"Nothing new!? Are you kidding me!? What is this place!?" I start to feel like the darkness is messing up with my sense. The shadows of the trees look so threatening and I jump when sparks fly. Startled, I look to what causes the light to see a fire and Ace poking it with an end of a stick. _When did he manage to start it?_

As if remembering something, the red eyed man hits his palm with his fist. "That is right. You don't probably know because you're an outsider."

"Outsider? Again with this," I mutter under my breath, but before I can raise my voice again Ace cuts me off.

"You're in the Land of Hearts," he says and laughs. "Though, I am not exactly sure where in it."

I frown, but then my expression turns into anger and frustration. I have never heard about such a place like a 'Country of Hearts' and am sure it isn't mentioned anywhere else as well. Ace must be crazy, but I should have figured that out, when he introduced himself as a knight. I have found it foolish and delusional to this point. Now, the more I realize I am dealing with a crazy person, the more I want to run away.

My attention goes back to the sky and my frown melts away. I am hundred percent certain that the sky was blue a while ago. There had been no signs of a sunset or pinkish clouds. Yet, in a blink, everything changed. Dark sky, no birds singing and a total silence all around the nature came out of nowhere and I find myself lost of what to think about it.

 _This doesn't make any sense!_

"Gloomy mouse, come here," Ace calls out, cutting off my thoughts for the second time today.

"How can you be so calm?" I ask softly, not looking at him. The things that have been happening start to make my head hurt and I can't yell at him anymore. Instead, I feel awfully tired all of sudden.

"Is there a reason for me not to be?" He sounds like a confused child who has been asked something new.

 _Of course, no psychopath would get worked up over something like this._ My shoulders slump down and I close my eyes. _This all must be a dream, right? Eyeless children, knights or whatever and now change of time._ Then, my head aches and a new idea pops into my head. When I fell, I hit my head pretty badly, so I must have lost consciousness. _Which means I am actually lying in some pit with worms and moles around me...Ew._

The revelation makes me feel better and I open my eyes to look at Ace who is patiently beckoning me over. He is holding two mugs of some steaming liquid and even from here I can smell it. The warm scent makes my stomach rumble softly and my mouth waters. I look at the mugs distrustfully, though. There is not knowing what might be in them and even Ace's friendly smile doesn't make the suspicion in me waver.

"I guess not," my voice comes out quietly and I take my time while walking to the campfire. The muscles in my legs work stiffly and when I sit down on the opposite side from Ace, my movements remind me of a robot.

Not probably even noticing my discomfort, Ace stands up and comes closer to me. He holds one of the mugs for me. "Here you go. It's a simple stew."

"How can you make a stew in such a short time? I didn't see you using any water. And where did you even get these mugs?" There are more better questions inside my mind, but I keep my mouth shut. Without noticing it, I have inches further away from the brunette and feel how my heart hammers inside my ribcage. _Calm down. This is all just a dream. Everything isn't real, so just breathe!_

"Actually, I always carry a teapot with me along with some water, too," Ace looks quite proud of himself, while saying that.

My stare is blank and his words are being translated in my mind. I find his answer too ridiculous to give a comment. I reach out for the mug and look down at the murky colored liquid. It still smells good, though and I take a first sip. _Just a dream, a dream. Even if there is poison in here, it won't kill me._

To my surprise, I like the stew and look at Ace. "It's good."

His smile widens a little. "Isn't it? This is my favorite." He plops down, but not on the spot where he previously sat. He sits close to me, so that there is at least a foot worth of distance between us. "This sure is nice! It is been a while since I have camped with someone."

I watch his wide smile and then start to drink again. But then I frown and open my mouth. "You didn't drag me all over the woods just for me to keep you company in here, right?"

"Hahaha! Maybe?" He tilts his head without looking at me.

Despite feeling somewhat irritated and disturbed, I won't stop a small chuckle from escaping me. Now, that I am acknowledging this place as a part of my imagination, it is easier to let my guard down a little.

Ace stops in the middle of taking a sip from his drink and looks at me again. "By the way gloomy mouse-"

"Why do you call me that?" Dream or not, I don't practically like being called 'gloomy' much less a mouse.

"Because you remind me of a mouse. You both are rather weak and scared all the time. Not to mention you looked ready to cry on the ground. Hahahaha!" Ace laughs from the memory and my face heats up, but absurdly he stops. "Why were you crying in the first place?"

I can feel curious eyes boring holes on me and clench the mug in my hands. The surface feels hot and I don't mind it. It actually helps me to get a grip on the situation and not to bury myself in the horrible memory. Why does my imagination have to give me these kind of nightmares? People without eyes is just plain weird and creepy.

"I..."

"..."

Ace is so silent again that I have to glance at him, only to see his red eyes staring at me intimately. He still has a pleasant smile on, but is giving his whole attention to me. He seems really curious to know the answer and I hastily look away. He isn't real, so I guess it won't embarrass me from telling him.

"I got scared. I saw some weird children without eyes and it was really... scary." A second passes, then two and three, until a small sound comes from Ace. I see his shoulders shaking and his free hand covers his whole face. "Are... Are you laughing?"

This time, he doesn't hold back and stops covering his face. He truly is laughing and even when I glare at him the sound won't cease.

"There is nothing funny about this!" I grit my teeth angrily and consider dumping this hot stew into his lap.

"Y-yes there is!" He calms down a little, but the laugh is still evident in his voice and eyes. "I can't believe you got that scared of some little faceless children! You really are like the mouse!"

"I am not! For your information I have a name as well! And it's Lily! Now, stop laughing at me! It isn't funny! I was really scared!" The stew doesn't taste to me anymore and I set it down, thinking about leaving. But when I look around us, all I see are dark trees which creak in the cool wind, small creatures peeking at us from the shadows.

I remain seated, not feeling like taking a stroll through the night forest. Instead, the campfire offers me some sort of comfort from the dark, despite the fact Ace is still laughing at me. I don't understand what part of those children isn't scary or funny for me to fear them. The man dressed in red should clearly see how upset I am from his laughing, but I don't really expect him to. He didn't understand that I didn't want his help in search of Cass and he will surely not understand my discomfort now.

 _He doesn't understand..._ I am looking at the ground with a frown and bite down my lower lip. I shouldn't expect to have nice dreams after taking a fall like that and losing Cass into those woods.

"So your name is Lily, huh?" Ace says calmly, but there is no longer any amusement in his tone. "You really don't have to be that scared of the Faceless."

"...Is that what they are called? What are they?" I look at the fire and feel its heat radiating against my face.

"Think of them as sideliners. Those that don't have a role in this world," Ace says.

"Why aren't you like them?" I ask curiously, almost forgetting the irritation I hold for him from laughing.

"Because I am a Role Holder. Everyone who is like me has eyes," he explains and sips his drink.

I wrap my arms around my knees, trying to gather some warmth. The bruises start to hurt from the new position, but I ignore the sensation. The air is getting chillier and I shiver from a light breeze. However, now my head is filled with new thoughts which don't clear up this whole weird dream at all. _Role Holders? Faceless? ...I don't understand the sense in this. I want to wake up from this dream already._

The thought of making my family wait for my return sends a twisted feeling into my guts. Knowing them, a large search party will start probably before the sun has gone down. I promised before leaving that I would call, if me and Cass were running late. And during some times when I had broken this promise, my mother got so mad that I had to hide inside a bathroom the whole time father tried to calm her down. As for my little brother, he hid inside his own room and stayed out of trouble, that little traitor. Though, I have done the same thing he did during the times he got an earful.

As for Cass's parents, they aren't as worried mother hens who panic after their daughter breaks the curfew with few hours. But even they will start to worry a great deal, when they will learn she can't really be found along with me. So, with all that put together, it's better, if I wake up soon.

For a moment, I think about using my phone, but remember that it won't be possible to contact anyone in a dream. Still, I pull it out of my pocket and open it, trailing through the photo album and watching familiar faces flash before my eyes. Who knew that my memory could be this good in a dream. Every detail is so specific and bright. It makes this whole place seem almost real.

"What is that you're holding?" There is suddenly human warmth right next to me. Red eyes peer down at the device in my hands and stay there, waiting for an answer.

"A phone... You have never seen one?" I ask uncertainly, not believing it to be true. When he nods, not taking his wide eyes away from the screen, it is my turn to mimic his expression. "How can that be? Everyone in the world knows what a phone is!"

"Not me!" He chirps cheerfully and turns his gaze to me. "Are those pictures inside this little box?"

"It's a phone and yes," I say and continue screening down to show some more.

Ace attention is back on the device and he gets comfortable next to me. "Who are those people?"

"My friends, family and some random things I wanted to remember."

"So, this is like a camera, then?" The brown head tilts in the same childish way it has before and I nod.

"That and you can call someone else's phone and talk to them no matter how far away you are."

"Then, you can speak to your friend, right? Why haven't you done that?"

"There is no signal. It's what makes it possible to call someone," I explain and stop on a photo with me and Cass in it. She has her arm around my shoulder and in return I return her half-hug by having my own around hers. During the time this picture was taken, she had a longer hair and among pink were white stripes. My hair on the other hand is the same, but it had been put on a short braid and it hangs over my right shoulder. Both of us are smiling with a sad covered shore right behind us. It had been a class trip and this is one of the first pictures I took with this phone.

 _It looks so real._ I glance at Ace and he is completely absorbed in the screen. _He looks real._

"Want to take one?" I ask without thinking.

"Hm?" He blinks and looks up at me, making me almost reel back from our closeness. For strangers, this much distance is too little.

I take in a deep breath. "A picture. My phone doesn't have enough battery in it, which means it will shut itself at some point soon. And as weird as it sounds, I don't want to forget this "little camping" trip."

Ace looks at me for a while, before the corners of his lips tug up. "I thought you didn't like this with that sour face on all the time."

My face twitches from sourness I am feeling. He is teasing me, the tone he uses tells me everything easily. Despite being somewhat annoying like this, not understanding what I was going through earlier and laughing at my fears, Ace is a pretty decent person, I guess. And while I am thinking this, guilt starts to spread across my chest. _Even if he isn't real, I don't want to treat him like this._

"I have been through a lot today, alright. Sorry," I mumble the last part out and hold up my phone. "Now, do you want to take a picture or not?"

A small yelp comes out of my mouth, when an arm sneaks around my shoulder and tugs me closer. Ace is smiling more widely and looking down at me with excitement. Compared to him, my expression is one of shock and flabbergast. Now I am sure that Cass's familiarity towards strangers is nothing to this man. His hold isn't tight, but firm and it kind of reminds me of a way friends hug each other. He isn't meaning any harm, but my insides turn into ice and my vocal cords clam shut. It takes every bit of my will not to tear myself away from this person.

He isn't real, is what I try to reassure myself. But, strangely, his body heat says otherwise. I can feel it through his glove on the hand that is on my shoulder. It speeds my heartbeat up and for a second I think that everything isn't a dream after all.

Shakily, I raise the phone and look at it. I see me and Ace on the screen. His smile widens from seeing himself and the hold he is having on me tightens. His teeth are showing, but my lips stay on a firm line. I listen to the cracking of the wood from fire, smell the smoke and feel the cool breeze. Everything is as real as it can be and it makes me shiver against Ace's warmth. The thought of this all actually being real wipes any kind of emotion from my face.

The camera flashes, capturing the moment of a smiling knight and a frozen girl whose green eyes look forward with a worried glimmer.

* * *

"Ace, I still don't believe that you know where we are going," I say and cross my arms across my chest while watching the brunette clean up the camp.

"Don't worry. Think of this as an adventure," he says and starts putting away the fabric of the tent we slept in.

My tongue is tied up for a second, but then I let out a sigh. "An adventure, suuuure."

I thought that after falling asleep in a dream, I would wake up. But when I did, I wasn't ten feet under the ground nor anywhere out in the wild alone. I had a blanket around me, the roof of the tent above and Ace's soft snores reminding me of where I truly am. The disappointment I felt was like someone had punched through my chest. And that is how I remained on the ground, wallowing up in my own confusion the whole time Ace had been sleeping. He is lucky to not have any worries like I do and able to sleep fully without them.

In a way, I was thankfully that I had not waken up yet. No matter how worried I am for Cass, it would be scary to face the officers and her parents, if something truly has happened to her. Not to mention my own parents wouldn't let me go out for a while.

The sky is the color of gold and I am suddenly craving for mangos. I can't help it, because what Ace gave me, bacons and eggs, was good, but I didn't eat that much. And now I regret it, especially, if we have to keep on walking for hours like yesterday. Not to mention my bruises are aching again. I had checked them earlier and there are at least five different spots around my lower back. Others are where my eyes can't reach, but there is definitely a bump on my head from the collision it took with the ground.

I take few steps forward, testing what part of me is truly damaged. A hiss comes out, when the are of the bruises ache up and I stop. _Yup. There are definitely more of them around me._

"Ace," I call out as he stops packing things. When he looks at me I face him with my arms crossed. "I swear, i am not in the mood of another stroll throughout the woods like yesterday. My back is killing me."

To demonstrate, I rub my back tenderly and then straighten up. A thought comes to me and I frown worriedly. "Please don't tell me that you actually live in a tent."

Red eyes blink owlishly at me and a fraction from a minute later Ace bursts out laughing. "You're really amusing! I am a knight, so of course I live in a castle!"

My eyes widen and I take a step forward with interest. "There is a castle here?"

"Yes. The Heart Castle," he nods with a chuckle and looks down at my expression. "You interested in going there?"

"Um," the words stop flowing out of my mouth for a second. "Do you even know how to get there? You didn't accidentally leave from there and got lost?"

 _That would explain why he came out of the forest, when we met._

Ace actually looks surprised. "How did you know?"

Like in many shows I have seen, I almost stumble without a reason, but regain my balance right away. Despite knowing this isn't the reality, I feel exhaustion and let out yet another sigh. _I am doomed._ _This is definitely a nightmare. There is no way that there is a guy with this bad sense of direction in real life._

"Never mind. Lets just go and get lost for all I care."

Ace smiles like the sun itself. "Eeeeeh. You want to get lost with me. Hahaha! That makes me happy!"

"Yeah, yeah," I wave my hand lazily and am about to start walking, but then something moves in the bushes.

Both of us, me and Ace, stay like rocks on our spots and slowly look towards the source of the noise. This reminds me of the time yesterday, when I met this cheerful brunette, but this time I have got no bad feeling down my stomach.

However, I realize only too late that we both should be running, because what comes out is a giant, brown bear. Its giant paws stomp to the ground creating soft 'thumps' and even before its large, black eyes catch me and Ace in their range, the beast is already letting out some displeased sounds. The sounds grow deeper, the longer it stares- glares at us. I feel a cold sweat trailing down my back from the way the air grows so tense that it can be snapped by a single word.

"Why! If it isn't Mr. Bear!" Ace's voice comes out loudly, while a full smile blooms on his face.

I cringe violently and am able to send a horrified look at him, when the giant creatures lets out a massive roar and starts advancing.

I want to yell at Ace for doing something stupid, but what comes out of my mouth is: "RUN!"

Surprisingly, he doesn't hesitate to sprint with me and the bear follows after. I glance over my shoulder only to see white, sharp teeth and immediately turn pale.

 _I hate this dream!_


	3. Chapter 3: The second fall

Chapter 3

The second fall

* * *

I grit my teeth painfully together, while my fingers clutch Ace's jacket to the point the knuckles turn white as the bone beneath the skin. The last time I clung to someone like this, was back when I was in elementary school and didn't want my mother to leave me there. However, this situation is far from those petty fears I had back then.

I am scared, really scared. There are many possibilities that he might trip and let the large bear behind catch and tear both of us into pieces. The thought makes my stomach turn around, like during the very moment he scooped me up. His firm hold, and fast speed haven't changed, though. I am not the lightest person in the world to be carried, to be brutally honest. So, I am currently waiting for Ace actually drop me from exhaustion, but so far nothing like that has happened.

Shakily, I crack my eyes open to look up at Ace's smiling face. He isn't looking tired at all. No sweat, labor breathing nor panting. It is like he is taking a relaxed walk instead of running faster than a track runner.

Sensing my gaze, his red eyes slide down to me and I stiffen. _He should be looking where he is running!_

"I-idiot!" I yell and tighten my hold on him. "Look ahead! Ahead!"

Instead of doing what I tell him, Ace laughs. "Hahahaha! What are you getting so worked up for?"

"W-what!? Y-y-y-you," the words come out as a stuttering mess. I can't think straight for a while, but then I hear a loud growl coming from behind and let out an 'eep'. "A-are you b-being serious!? There is a b-bear chasing us!"

Ace looks over his shoulder at the large animal and I can feel my face getting paler and paler when he does. My body trembles from the rush of adrenaline which is telling my brain to get out of this man's hold and run by myself. But there is a high risk that the beast will be able catch up with me. I am not the fastest runner and that is why I am a little grateful that Ace is carrying me.

Still, I am also fearing for my own safety. No sane person would be laughing in this kind of situation and taking it so lightheartedly. I thought the red 'knight' was a little strange, more than little actually, and felt uneasy. But now I am positive that there is a screw or few missing from his head. _So, do I trust him in this or not?! What am I supposed to do!? Waaah! Cass, where are you!? Why did you have to run off and leave me alone!?_

The bear roars again and I bury my face from instinct into Ace's chest. I feel his head turn slightly from my action and his chin brushes against the top of my head.

"Hm? Are you really afraid?"

Anger flares in my gut and I raise my voice to the point it puts a strain on my throat. "Of course, I am afraid! Moron! W-we are going to die!"

He laughs from the answer and tightens his hold. "Don't worry! Just hold on!"

At first, I think he is joking and is mad, but then there is a sudden rush of wind around us. It feels strange, so strange in fact that my hold nearly loosens. But the next thing I know the hand beneath my knees moves away and I let out a scream of horror. _Don't let go! Don't let go!_ My arms wrap themselves around his neck and I hold on to him for dear life. Tears sting my tightly closed eyelids and I am starting to think he really will drop me in front of the giant bear. _I don't want to die! P-please don't let go!_

Everything comes to a sudden halt. And if it weren't for the hand around my waste, the gravity would surely pull me down towards the ground. The air is nearly knocked out of my lungs, when both me and Ace move forward and collide with something rough and hard with a loud 'thud'.

"Ugh!" I cringe and cold sweat runs down my back. _W-what?_

Ace lets out a loud sigh. "Phew! That was a close one! Hey, Gloomy Mouse, can you climb up for me a little?"

I open my eyes in confusion and lean back slightly to look at him. "H-huh?"

He grins. "We should climb higher. Mr. Bear won't be able to catch us, then."

My heartbeat rings in my ears and I trail my blurry eyes to his other hand, which is clutching a sturdy looking tree branch. The young man doesn't seem to have a problem with keeping a firm grip on it and with the other hand on me, though. It is like there is no weight holding him back, but that is not what I think about for too long. In fact, I start to feel dizzy and mechanically look over both of our shoulders and down towards the ground. _P-please d-don't t-tell me…_

Right below us, the giant bear snarls. Its face wrinkles into an ugly glare from displeasure of its pray being further away. It circles the area near the tree for a second, probably trying to find a way to get the two of us down. Deciding to change tactics, the animal rises to its back feet. Claws glitter dangerously from its paws as they swipe near mine and Ace's feet. We both curl them up to avoid the deadly attack, but I feel the wind pass by from where the claws swiped.

I shiver, heartbeat going over the top and color from my face fades even further. I let out a pathetic yelp, the strength leaving from my limbs.

Despite that being a close call, Ace merely laughs again. "That was close – Woah!" He quickly tightens his grip on me, when I nearly slip out form it. "You alright? We should really start climbing."

Many emotions flash behind my closed eyelids, but when I open them I want to shoot a fierce glare at the man holding me. But instead… I am sure my expression is filled with fear and tears. Ace may be the reason we got into this situation, however, he is also the one who is currently keeping me from dying.

"I-I…" my voice trembles and so do my arms that weakly can still hold on to him. "I-I a-am sc-scared."

Ace tilts his head. "Then climb up. It will be safer there."

Weakly, I shake my head and close my eyes again. "T-the h-highs. I-I a-am scared o-of highs."

I hate this. I absolutely hate this feeling of helplessness. I am shaking uncontrollably and feel like throwing up from not feeling anything under my feet. When Ace had been carrying me on the ground, it had been different. I was more scared of the bear than being off from the solid surface. So, now that I am more than what seems five feet above the ground, acrophobia is starting to take over my body. _H-h-how did he even get up here so quickly!?_

"Don't worry," Ace says nonchalantly, slightly cutting through my fears. "I will make sure you won't fall."

"I-it is n-not wh-what…" I struggle to tell him that it isn't fully falling that scares me. But, I am able to hear the growling of the bear and feel another wind swipe near my feet. Shuddering, I slowly crack my eyes open again and reach out to the nearest branch that looks strong enough to endure human weight. I look at Ace next and am ashamed to realize that a single tear slides down my cheek. "I-I w-won't f-fall, r-right?"

"Of course not. Just climb up a little and sit down on a strong looking branch," he says with a smile and watches me trying other branches to place my feet on.

Still scared, but not wanting to end up as a snack for a bear, I cling to a branch and start to let go of Ace. When he is fully detached from me, I raise my knee shakily and push myself up with everything I have. _Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down,_ is a mantra that keeps me from actually directing my gaze to the bear down below. I am curious to know how high I have made it so far with one upper branch but retain myself from finding out. If I do, then I will certainly faint.

"That's it! Keep it up," Ace sounds pleased as he climbs a little ahead of me. "You can stop around here. This is far enough."

"B-but w-won't t-the bear c-climb a-after us?" I ask nervously. My wild heartbeat hasn't calmed down at all and the thought that this climbing won't help us at all makes it even worse!

"I have done this many other times and it has never followed. So, don't worry."

 _O-other times? This guy is- Argh!_ I feel uneasiness for the thousandth time, but finally reach a branch near the knight and carefully sit down. Wrapping my arms around the trunk, I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the bear making a racket down from the ground with a shiver.

How on earth did I get myself into this absurd situation? I have never thought that I could climb this high up and sit on a tree with a deadly animal wanting to eat me alive. Sure, there have been people who have managed to escape from bears and such, but I never wanted to be one of them. When you face a bear, in my opinion, you are supposed to stay calm and not make sudden movements or noises. Yet, Ace had done the exact opposite of all of that. Doesn't he have a sense of danger?

Hesitantly, I open my eyes and slide them towards the male on the other side of the trunk. He is kicking his feet lightly in the air and humming a tune under his breath. And of course, he is smiling.

Somehow, seeing his calm composure is relaxing. And because I can focus on him and not the high, I speak with a calm tone. "Aren't you scared?"

"Hm? Of what?" He asks and looks at me.

"Well… that the bear almost killed us?"

"Haha! It wouldn't have killed me. It only wants to play," he answers and waves down at the brownish creature. "Isn't that right, Mr. Bear?"

All he gets as an answer is a growl, but he still laughs good-naturedly. It is astounding, if not a little worrisome. I close my eyes again, thoughtfully. _He really is crazy… I wonder if being with him is really a wise choice._ But this all is supposed to be a dream. It isn't really happening and even if that bear had gotten me or Ace and would end up getting me killed, I would wake up back at home and forget the whole thing. At least, that is what I wish for, but now that the adrenaline in my veins is fading I start to feel the aching bruises. The pain can't be my imagination and I am also positive that there is a real lump in the back of my head.

Everything is as real as it can get. Ace is not a figment of my imagination nor this strange environment with the time changing randomly or eyeless children playing like they can actually see everything. So, I could have truly died, if the bear would have reached us. Even now, if I fall I won't be opening my eyes anymore.

My fingers curl against the tree's trunk and some small pieces fall off from my long nails dragging harshly against them. The rough surface touches the side of my forehead and I exhale quietly. The image of Cass's smiling face appears inside my head and a violent shudder goes down my body.

God, if I am like this now, then where and how is she? What has happened to my best friend? I guess meeting Ace was out of pure lack, or else I would be having a panic attack somewhere else. But there is no telling, if Cass ended up into this strange place or if she is still well. _Why did we have to get separated? Oh, Cass. Please be alright!_

* * *

"Oh, he is leaving," Ace says.

My eyes snap open, but I stop myself just in time from looking down. The knight may be right, because the growling has stopped completely and the only thing that can be heard anymore is the sound of birds chirping.

Relieved, my hold loosens slightly. "Thank god."

Ace laughs from my exasperated tone, but then his laugher is cut off. "Hey, we are near the Clock Tower."

 _A_ w _hat now?_ I frown and crane my neck to look at him. His gaze is directed right behind us and I carefully look over my shoulder at what he is focusing on. When he said the word 'tower', I was confused at what he meant by that. We are in the middle of a forest, with nothing but trees and plants in it. However, there really is a strange, large and tall building standing further away.

From my point of view, it looks more like a skyscraper than a simple tower and I am left speechless. Its shape is a little strange and next to it are small roofs of houses that rise among the trees. It is a town, but the tower is the only thing that truly stands out. In fact, if it wasn't there, it is doubtful that anyone would have noticed the town in the first place. Something so modern in wilderness could baffle and catch the attention of anyone in the area.

A shiver goes down my spine and I tighten my hold on the tree once more. Was the tower there the whole time? And, are there more those 'faceless' people in that town?

Before I can think even deeper into it, Ace starts to move around. "Alright. Let's go and say 'hi' to my friend, then."

"W-what?!" I whip my head around to look at him in disbelief. "We don't have time to go and- Who exactly are we going to say 'hi' to?"

"My friend Julius," Ace smiles like it could answer all of my questions and starts to climb down.

I panic and reach out one of my hands. "Wait! I don't know how to get down from here!"

"Hm? It is easy enough," he says nonchalantly and continues going further down. "Like this."

"B-b-but," I start, but don't find any words to continue my sentence. Sure, to someone who isn't faced at all by highs can find it easy to climb down, but my fingers are currently clutching the tree and I am half-hugging it to prevent a very possible fall. My stomach hurts from the nervousness and tears fill my eyes for the second time.

Ace is staring at me. Like, without blinking. As soon as I see this, my face flushes and I look away, flustered and helpless. _Great. I am crying while in a tree._ Maybe, if I was with Cass or someone who I know very well, I wouldn't be crying. But after being in a life-death-situation, coming to realization that this is real and facing my acrophobia, I am more exhausted mentally than physically. So, now the tears come out naturally.

 _Pathetic._

"You sure are handful," Ace sighs.

I stiffen from his words and look even further away in embarrassment and shame. However, my eyes widen, when the world starts spinning. The roof of green branches fills my vision and gravity makes my tears roll out of the eye socks from the sides.

A terrifying thought enters my head, as I shift my gaze to the brightly smiling face. I become pale as sheet.

"But it is a knight's duty to help a damsel in distress~"

Immediately, I start to shake my head wildly. "W-wait! A-a-ace! Don't-"

The wind blows against my face and I screech. For a moment, I see the ground, which is so far down that I forget how to breathe. Closing my eyes extremely tightly, I wrap my arms around Ace's neck, getting a sense of frightening Déjà vu, before the gravity takes a hold on us.

With mind turned off, my stomach drops ten feet under the ground that we are approaching with fast speed.

Hair whipping to every possible direction, I press my face into the red coat. I can feel the vibration of laugher through it and know it certainly does not come from me. It is finally and officially settled then - Ace has no sense of danger whatsoever. But I fear this information has come too late and I am about to face an early end. That is the only thing going through my mind, as I continue to fall together with Ace whose laugher is equal to my screams.

The moment the wind stops whirling and ringing in my ears, cold sweat slides down my back and I become stiff as a rock. A loud 'thud' pierces my hearing and I gasp in shock, air flowing into my lungs from remembering how to breathe. With wide eyes, I keep on staring at the blue sky above. The soft clouds look like pillows and extremely welcoming. _A-am I dead?_

Movement under me makes my mind snap back to reality from a daze-like state. The branches come slightly closer and soon Ace's voice carries out: "Gloomy mouse, you okay there?"

My head snaps up from its back-arched position and I am met with a curious red-eyed gaze. They stare down innocently and blink, and my eyes do the latter as well.

"A-ace?" I squeak out in shock.

"Yes?"

Everything comes back to reality and I grab his shoulders in a hurry, making sure he is really there. Ignoring his surprised look, I look up and down at the landscape. And sure enough, we are both back on the ground, with Ace holding me and looking perfectly fine. I can see no broken bones, blood or any such gore that would come from a fall like we had.

It makes me question, whether we even fell down from a tree.

Huge relief makes me almost go completely limp, but then I raise my eyes to Ace again and feel fresh tears stinging my eyes. However, soon I realize what _exactly_ happened and my relief washes away. Instead, I feel hot bubbles boiling inside my gut.

"You… You idiot!" I smack the brunette on the chest. Not probably the best thing to do to a crazy person, but I am not currently thinking at all. With every word, I hit him repeatedly. "Bonehead! Moron! Imbecile! How could you jump down like that! I thought we were going to _die_! Die, you hear me!? I don't know what kind of flexibility people have around here, but that is _not_ simply how you get down from a great high! You nearly gave me a heart attack – it _literally_ almost stopped beating! And-"

I am cut off, when the arms around me shift. Warmth presses against my chest and soft tips of hair tickle the area under my chin. Once again, I find myself flabbergasted and freeze like a stone.

"Your heart is still beating, though."

I am staring at the sky with wide eyes, again. Ace's voice vibrates against my chest and at the same time his warm breath goes through my clothes, making me stiffen even further with cold sweat running down my back.

"It is beating so fast…" he mutters, and I shiver. Ace tilts his head slightly up to look at me.

Robotically, I meet his gaze. "W-w-w-w-what a-a-a-are yo-you d-d-d-doing?"

He smiles charmingly. "Listening to your heart."

I can't take it anymore – my own heart can't take it anymore. He is too close, this half-stranger, who is more than strange and probably even has mental disorders. I have acknowledged that we might be slightly more than strangers to one another – we slept in a same tent together and even took a picture together. But Ace is literally hugging me, like I am a pillow, acting as if there is nothing wrong with that. But unlike his reaction, mine is completely different from his calm façade.

First, my face starts to flush from different kinds of emotions. They all fill my head to the point I am certain that my ears are red as well. I am more than horrified and disgusted. Yet, some shy part of me makes my body tremble together with other things, like anger. Second, I feel lightheaded from overactivity of information going inside my brain. The red knight has done this before, so I should be somewhat prepared for this, but… I am not. I have never, _ever_ , been touched like this by anyone from the opposite gender. Frankly, I find myself scared of this situation. And third, even slight shift or tightening of the arms around me makes me flinch in horror.

Still, Ace's obvious and innocent expression is enough to make anyone get conflicted feelings.

I don't know whether I want to scream like a banshee, faint, or punch him across the face. I am trapped! Both figuratively and literally! _Think,_ _ **think**_ _! Don't just gape! Do s-something!_

"Hahaha! You look like a fish, Gloomy Mouse."

That does it and I do the first thing I did during the first time he did this to me: I try to push him away.

"Get off!" My hands are splattered against both of his shoulders awkwardly because of the angle I am being held in. Even if I wasn't, I doubt it would help. Ace is much stronger than I, that is clear as ever with all the holding he has done so far.

He pouts, when I start to hit him again. "Why? I want to listen a little more."

I shake my head violently, my already messy hair getting messier. The movement causes me to almost lose balance, though, and nearly fall back. I only now realize that I am still above the ground and my face pales. "NO! Put me down! Didn't you say that we should say 'hi' to Ju-Jue? No, it was…um, Jus- no."

"Ah, you mean Julius?" Ace asks with a happy glint in his eyes and when I nod his smile widens.

 _G-good. Go on and he will listen._ I inhale deeply and force a shaky yet strained smile on my lips. "So, why don't we get going already?"

"You're right," he nods and then starts walking… with me still in his arms and towards the opposite direction from where the tower is.

Fearing that my plans are going to waste, I tap him on the shoulder. "Ace! The tower is that way!"

"Huh? It isn't over here?"

"No! You are going to completely opposite direction! And put me down already!" Things really aren't going as I hoped.

Ace tilts his head and after a second: "We can use this as a shortcut, then."

The hand on his shoulder freezes – my hand and my whole-body freezes from hearing such a serious reply. I try to see any kind of sign of him joking or trying to be funny. But then I remember how he dragged me around the forest for hours and didn't seem to truly know where he was going. There are all sorts of people out there in the world with different quirks and flaws, so even if something feels bizarre it shouldn't be such a surprise for too long. However, I have a strange feeling that I have discovered something I can't fully comprehend.

My eye starts to twitch, a hobby from childhood which is starting to rise to the surface. _T-this man…_

"Ace… You have a very bad sense of direction," I say bluntly and then point behind him. "The tower is _that_ way."

He turns towards where I am pointing at and I keep my hand there for a while. I hope he will understand now that there is no shortcut through here and we will end up getting lost if he takes the lead. The last thing I want to happen is to wander around the forest, again.

Suddenly, Ace lets out a laugh. "Well, look at that! But what is wrong with using a shortcut? We could get there faster."

"No!" I am starting to shake again. I just want to stand on a steady ground and get out of this forest, but Ace is making it more than difficult. His constant physical contact and invasion into my personal space is too much.

* * *

"Ooh!" Ace lets out a sound of awe and raises his hand above his eyes to block the bright sunlight. "We actually made it."

I don't say anything and simply let go of his sleeve like it could burn my hand off. It has been like trying to drag a little kid along and I am exhausted from it, but seeing the tower up close brings some relief. _I thought we would never make it here._

Now that I am much closer to it I can actually see where it has gotten its name from to begin with. There are smaller and shorter towers all around it, like numbers in a clock, and the giant one in the middle is cut in the middle by equally big hands of a clock. The whole building _is_ one giant clock. It seems so unreal that my jaw almost drops from staring at it. I am beginning to have second thoughts about this being a reality, because I am certain that no buildings like this exist.

 _This is amazing._ Forgetting that Ace is there for a second, I take few steps forward and look up at the smaller towers with awe. _Cass would certainly love this... It would be better than that haunted mansion._ A shiver goes down my spine from remembering that terrible place. It was nice enough until my pink-haired friend told me its story. _That mansion was definitely cursed. I am sure of it. Otherwise I wouldn't be here in the first place!_

Remembering that I am supposed to be miserable and exhausted, I glance towards one of the sources of my troubles… Only to see that Ace isn't where I expected him to be.

"Gloomy Mouse, hurry up," he calls out from the front and I whirl around. He is having his back to me and walking towards the tower with a leisure pace.

"Wait up!" I call out and quickly run after him. _At least he knows where he is supposed to go, now._ When I finally catch up with him I look at the tower curiously. "So, does your friend live here?"

"Yes. He lives here, works here, he is a hermit," Ace answers with a grin.

I want to raise an eyebrow but refrain from doing so. This is not what I expected to Ace's friend to sound like. In fact, I thought they would be more… effervescent. This brunette couldn't certainly be well acquittanced with a hermit, right?

"Is that so?" I can't think of anything else.

Ace nods. "I also work for him."

"Work?" Now, I must raise an eyebrow. "What kind of work? Aren't you supposed to be a knight?"

He merely continues smiling and looks at me with a strange glint in his eyes. "I am a knight, but I also work for him."

I am about to say something else to him, but words get stuck in my throat, when I see two people walking out of the tower. The breath hitches in my throat and I stop moving completely. It is a man and woman, but they both are those things that Ace called 'faceless'. My heartbeat quickens, and I take a step back from instinct.

They look like normal people, aside from lacking eyes. But it is this part that creeps me out more than anything and I can't stop from staring at their faces. The moment the woman's mouth starts to move, my limbs are filled with goosebumps. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I can't tear my gaze away from the strange sight. It is abnormal and not something that is supposed to be possible. They look like people, but… _What are they?_

Like children, they see without eyes, speak with each other and even look at one another. They are human, is what I try to tell myself. But I am still afraid to approach and maybe even ignore the fact that they are there.

 _Turn away, run! But Ace is here, so… No, I must run. But where? Are they even friendly?_ Sweat trails down my forehead and I carefully wipe it away, not taking my eyes off from the two faceless.

Ace notices how I am not walking next to him anymore, which I am glad for. If he continued walking any further, I might feel more scared than I already am. Though, it is strange for me to want to have someone who made a bear chase us close.

The red coated man walks back to me, covering the sight of the two 'people' from my view and peering down at me. "What is wrong, Gloomy Mouse?"

The sound of that so-called nickname makes me grit my teeth, but I try to calm myself from hissing at him. Which is easy, considering I am more worried about something else behind the knight. "Are faceless dangerous?"

Red eyes widen slightly from the question and I lower my own to the ground. Ace stays silent for a second, before laugher bubbles out of his chest. "Hahaha! This again? They won't hurt you, you know? Well, most of them won't, probably."

My eyes widen from both being offended and scared again. "M-most? Then how do I know which ones want to hurt me?"

"Who knows?" A careless shrug. Ace is not concerned at all. He adds as an afterthought: "Maybe if you see one of them carrying weapons?"

"What?" I nearly yell out and cover my mouth shortly after.

His smile widens from the reaction he got, but then he looks thoughtful for a while. Then, he looks behind him at the two faceless who have started to head towards the town and a new look spreads on Ace's face. He is still smiling, but there is a spark in his eyes, like a child who figured out a problem. "If you are so scared, then I can kill those two."

...

...

...

...

...

"…What?" The question comes out as a wheeze and my eyes widen considerably in horror by the completely serious tone he has. It is not filled with humor, at all, and hearing it being said with such carefreeness makes me shudder violently.

 _D-did I hear him r-right?_

I freeze, feeling less safe than a moment ago. My lower lip trembles, as I watch Ace direct his red gaze to my shaken form. He doesn't seem to be paying my silence any attention and tilts his head with the same charming smile. I shudder for the second time, a silent, meek voice in the back of my head telling me to take large steps back, but I can't. The ground is glued to my feet and I can now only stand and stare at the brunette knight who leans a bit closer.

"Well? Outsiders don't like death, right? But I wonder what you think. You want me to kill them?" He asks calmly, and the smile doesn't slip from his lips.

No joking around, tricks or lies. Ace is truly asking if I want to watch the 'faceless' die.

I smile shakily, not knowing what else to do. However, it fades as soon as I start talking. "N-no."

"Hm?" He blinks and looks somewhat disappointed. "You don't want me to kill them?"

"N-n-no," I shake my head weakly, mind blank.

Ace leans back and looks up at the sky. "Hmm… So, I guess all Outsiders don't like killing, huh. Even though we all can be replaced."

His words are mostly for himself, but sound so alarming that I don't know what to say or think. So, I stay on my spot, looking at his chest with a stiff face.

 _H-huh? What i-is he saying?_ Extremely cold sweat slides down my shoulders and entire back. It is a wonder that the strength has not left from my legs yet, but it might soon happen, as I am finding it too hard to breathe. I find Ace in a completely new light. He is carefree, too carefree, that it is frightening. But I am not sure, if it is simply carefreeness that made him speak so lightly about death. _Faceless have weapons… So, does he also have one?_

The thought what he could have done with that is too gruesome. I dislike that kind of violence – I find it scary and horrible. That is why the idea of Ace being capable of killing makes my stomach drop.

He looks back at me and I flinch. Of course, he notices it.

"Are you afraid of me?" He looks _amused_ and when I don't he closes his eyes and places his gloved hands on his hips. "Don't worry. I will not kill you, Gloomy Mouse," Ace says with a wink and then turns his back to me. "Let's go now! Julius is waiting."

The moment he is few feet away, I almost fall to my knees, and gasp quietly for air. My gut hurts, for it keeps on telling me to get away from this man. But, when I look towards the town and see few people moving between the buildings, I find myself lost what to do. After what Ace said about weapons, I am even more hesitant to make contact with the faceless. The couple didn't truthfully seem threatening, other than their appearances on the face area, but my stomach keeps on twisting when I try to recall them. It is clear that I am trapped and how little choice I have anymore. It is either to follow Ace, who has proved to be less safe person than what I truly thought he was at the beginning, or walk out there into the unknown and probably get myself killed by faceless people. Neither of the two options are tempting.

Slowly, I regain control on my breathing and look at the back of fluttering red coat. The brunette man has made it to the long stairway and is currently walking up with every second. It is like he doesn't care whether I will follow or not.

 _If he wanted to kill me… he would have done it much earlier._ He could have strangled me in my sleep, left me with that bear or even pushed me down from the tree. But he did nothing of those. Have I misunderstood something in what he said?

Either way, if I want to find Cass and get us out of here…

My steps start shakily and with hesitation, until they turn more firmer and brisker. My body movement is showing the opposite of the mental state I am in.

I am right behind Ace, when he reaches the final step and I mental applaud to myself for making it this far.

* * *

"Julius! I am back~!" Ace throws the door open and waltzes in easily, while I trail after him hesitantly.

However, I am met with a sight that leaves me flabbergasted. The whole room is an absolute mess. There are many big and small parts of clocks laying around couches, chairs tables and even in a bookshelf. Papers with writing fill the walls and even a closet, books have been gathered into different sized piles that lay either on a desk again or somewhere else. Also, I think I am seeing things at first, but I am certain that there is a bed at the end of the room in the corner of all the mess. The word 'hermit' starts to be replayed in my mind and, somehow, I can see how Ace can get along with a person like this. Though, I am not sure how organized the knight himself is.

This room is messier than mine on a good day and I resist an urge to whistle from being impressed. But, I am also puzzled from the clocks and their parts scattered across the place. This place's name is a 'Clock Tower' and when I was walking up the stairs to here I saw giant cogs and such, but this feels like it is going over the top.

"Ace, stop making a racket every time you come."

I stop from hearing a new, slightly irritated voice gruff out and finally see someone sitting behind a desk near the bed. I had been so perplexed by the state of the room to notice him sooner... At least I think he is a 'he'.

The person's hair seems quite long and shines in the room's light. That is why I first question the gender option, but the angularly masculine chin finally reveals the truth and I almost snicker. Maybe if I was more energetic and not so tired, this wouldn't be as amusing. _I can't believe that I thought he was a woman. Even his voice is too low to belong to a one!_

The sound of my snickers must have been louder than I would have thought, and two pairs of eyes slide to me. I freeze, bite my tongue, mentally curse myself for letting my guard down and feel how a cold shiver goes down my spine.

The man behind the desk drops whatever he is holding, which is a clock and screwdriver. His dark blue eyes behind a pair of glasses look at me up and down sharply and form a dark glare the entire time. Although, there is a little hint of surprise on his expression, it soon vanishes. "What?" He growls out.

I flinch, taking an obvious step back in fright, like it could lessen his dark gaze. Just a moment ago I thought his complexion is a bit too pale, but I think there is a dark shadow forming on it now. And, I am also more than intimidated by it along with how angry he sounds.

 _Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot! He is angry!_

Before my blank and terrified mind can think of anything, a familiar arm wraps around my shoulder and I am pulled close by Ace. He laughs lightly. "Now, now, Julius! No need to scare the Gloomy Mouse."

"Why is there an _Outsider_ here?" Julius asks roughly and stands up. His glare goes from my pale face to the brunette holding me. "Ace, _what_ have you done?"

Red eyes blink confusedly. "What? You look angry."

"Of course, I am angry! Why would you bring an Outsider here!? Where did you even find a way to bring one in the first place!? Have you lost your mind!? You may lack any kind of common sense, but I would have never thought you would cross a line like this!"

"Hahahaha!" Ace laughs as he is being ranted at, showing no sign of uneasiness or tension from the murderous glare he is being given by the other man.

I, on the other, am finding it physically hard not to rip myself away from the hold on my shoulder. The skin under my long sleeves is already filled with goosebumps from this contact and I lower my gaze to the ground helplessly. I don't want to cause another scene, so I try to carefully move away. However, the hold tightens, and I fear for a moment that the fingers will start digging into my flesh from being stubborn. But that doesn't happen, and Ace's hold remains the same.

 _He is doing this on purpose._ I remain stiff and force myself to keep my eyes on the ground.

It is not only Ace I want to get away from, I want to hide away from the glare Julius is giving, too. It isn't exactly directed at me, but he is currently being scarier than my mother while angry. Honestly, Ace did say that he is a hermit – someone who is not a people person. I can see that to be true now. From the state of the room to the way I was greeted earlier, everything is screaming that adjective. I have no idea how the red-eyed knight next to me can laugh so brightly in front of this man.

 _He called me an outsider… Ace did too. Does it really mean something? That I am not from around here? Is me being here a bad thing?_

I am snapped back, when another hand lands on my other shoulder and Ace leans over it with a smile towards his 'friend'. "Oh, Julius. Gloomy Mouse here and I have been searching for her friend. Have you seen her around?"

"What are you…" Julius starts and rubs the bridge of his nose, but then freezes and looks at us with wide eyes. "Wait. There is another one?"

Ace nods, once again ignoring the rising murderous aura. "Seems like it."

Julius looks like he is ready to prepare another rant, but then his sharp gaze goes to me. "You. What is your name?"

"H-huh? L-lily Anderson," I stammer out and wish he would stop glaring at me the way he does. My shoulders become even more tenser than before and I am not even fully meeting his gaze.

Julius seems to think of something, then sighs loudly and leans back. "Where exactly did this moron bring you from?"

Said 'moron' laughs, putting more of his weight on me than necessary. "You wound me Julius. I found her-"

"Shut up. I didn't ask from you," Julius snaps and then his attention goes back to me with same intensity. "Well?"

The way Ace is suddenly leaning on me makes my knees buckle slightly, so at first it is hard for me to fathom what the dark-haired man asks. The brunette had just minutes ago asked, if I was afraid of him. _So, why is he even leaning on me!?_ Plus, now that I have been under large amount of fear and nervousness, naturally, my mind starts to turn blank.

I have to calm down, so I take in a deep breath through my nose and carefully try to look at Julius. This is ridiculous – why am being so scared of someone who is sitting so many feet away?

"Actually, Ace found me after I landed into this place," I start calmly, "I was running after my friend in a forest and when I couldn't suddenly find or hear her anywhere I started to search for her. Then, I suddenly fell into – a hole? I think? And ended up into an unfamiliar forest-"

"And then I found her!" Ace declares and holds me tighter. "See? I didn't kidnap her or anything."

The memory of him holding me from the wrist makes me want to protest. But I settle on frowning and glaring at nothing instead. _It wouldn't matter, even if I say it. It is like talking to a wall._

"…And I also think that my friend ended up in here before me."

Julius is quiet again, for a while. Then, lets out another loud sigh and mutters something under his breath. "Unbelievable… Did you have some kind of vial with you, when you fell or after it?"

"No, I did not," I answer, hiding my confusion. A vial? What does that have to do with anything?

"Good. You should return quickly, then," the dark-haired man says bluntly and stands up. "I will send you back, right now."

At first, I am relieved to hear such words, but then I remember something much more important and panic. "Wait! My friend might still be out there!"

"Can't be helped," Julius voice is cold, and he makes his way around his desk and towards me. "You Outsiders are much more fragile than us Role Holders and faceless, it is highly possible she has met her end already. So, waiting or going out to look for her would be pointless."

My hands curl into tight fists and a look of desperation forms on my face, I am sure it does. _No… Cass…_ Something drops in my stomach and ice replaces the warm blood flowing in my veins. I feel sick, but nothing comes up or out. And yet, the pain I feel in my chest is like someone has punched a hole in there. True, what I have encountered so far has been abnormal and scary, but it had been all because of Ace that I have made it this far. But… does Cass have anyone to help her out? If she has gone through what I have, then surely, she has not survived. I can already see it before my eyes – her bloodied, torn corpse staring emptily at the sky with pale skin and half-open lips. I am not sure why I am exactly imagining something like this, but it won't stop, and I start to feel even worse. _Oh, Cass._

My best friend is simple, somewhat shy – of course she couldn't handle anything that I don't well enough. We always crumble together, but not that we have been separated and the reality of the situation is settling in, worry like no other starts to bubble in my gut. I should have never started chasing her in the first place. If we hadn't started playing tag, then we would still be next to that old mansion and gone home ages ago.

 _But how was I supposed to know that things would end up like this?_ The question washes away some of my guilt, but I still start to have tears gathering in my eyes. They sting, and no words come out of my mouth. I feel lost and don't know what to do anymore, when it only now occurs to me that Cass might be long gone already. Yet, I am also enraged that Julius had said it so bluntly and without a hint of empathy, nor sympathy. _Just like Ace. They do not… Do they even understand the meaning of death?_

I can't leave this place without making sure what happened to Cass or where she is. Otherwise, how could I live with myself?

Determinate, I am about to open my mouth and speak my mind… When Ace pulls me back – away from Julius reach. We both blink in shock and look up at the red knight who has a strange expression on his face. _Is- is he pouting?_

"Now, now, Julius. Don't be so mean!" He starts and out of nowhere pats me on the head. "I promised to help Gloomy Mouse to find her friend, so she can't leave just yet. Right?" After a minute, I realize he directed the last part at me and I crane my neck to look up. He is smiling charmingly and then looks at Julius with the same expression. "So, no can do~"

"Ace! Don't be foolish! She is an Outsider! A foreigner," Julius lowers his voice at the end, like trying to prove his point and pinches the bridge of his nose. "You will be wasting your time. Especially since you have no sense of direction! How on earth do you think you can help her find this other Outsider? And do not forget the _rules._ "

"I get it, I get it," Ace smiles, but doesn't sound like he really does get anything. "But, as a knight, I can't go back on my word and simply send Gloomy Mouse away."

I suddenly become very aware how Julius starts to have a dark aura around him. He doesn't say anything, nor does he show any expression on his pale face, but it still somewhat looks murderous. I get a chill just from looking at him and quietly wish that Ace knows what he is doing. Though, more importantly, I am very shocked to learn that he actually wants to help me find Cass. I didn't think he was genuine about it at the beginning.

The arms around me don't feel so suffocating anymore. In fact, I almost want to return their embrace. Butterflies and rush of joy make my face flush and a small smile appears on my face. The coldness in my veins is replaced by warmth. Who knew that Ace would actually make me feel like this, after everything he has made me go through?

"Ace-"

"Off we go, then!" The knight starts to push me towards the door with even pace, ignoring his friend who is clearly agitated.

"Ace-"

"Bye, bye Julius! I promise to come visit after I have found Gloomy Mouse's friend."

"Ace-"

"Try not to miss me too much!"

"ACE!" The dark-haired man in the room bellows, but the door is shut before he can say anything else. His voice is muffled completely by the walls and the wooden door.

Ace lets out a small laugh and finally releases me from his hold. "Man, Julius is going to get a sore throat, if he keeps yelling like that."

 _The why do you make him like that,_ is what I want to ask, but keep my mouth shut. Instead, I turn around to face my so-called rescuer. "You are s-serious? About helping me?"

"Of course, I am," he says easily and leans closer. "What? Don't tell me that you actually doubted my honor as a knight?"

For a second, I think he is upset, but the smile on his face says otherwise. My shoulders relax from seeing this, and a smile of my own appears on my face. Though, I still feel uneasy about this ma. After what he has done, these are only reasonable suspicions and emotions.

After seeing the reaction Julius had on me, I feel a little better to have Ace around. I am not sure, if I am allowed to be in this strange place, but he doesn't seem to have a problem with my existence. I am not also sure, if I understand mostly what is going on in this place. Words like 'Outsider', 'Role Holders' and 'rules' are so puzzling. But, I can maybe get answers to those things later. For now, I must focus on making sure Cass is alright.

"Sorry. But you don't exactly act like a knight, mostly," I say bluntly and look down and then back up at him with a smile. "Thank you."

Ace's eyes have widened slightly, but then he bursts out laughing and I take this as a good sign. He is not angry from my words. In fact, he looks rather happy from them and his shoulders are shaking. "Hahaha! I do not act like a knight, huh?"

I watch him, noting the strange look in his smiling eyes. His facial features have softened, and I think he might even be recalling something, when he snaps his red orbs back to me and smiles widely once again. Finally getting used to his smiles, I return it and we start to walk down the stairs…

Until Ace trips.

"W-woah!" He tries to regain his balance in a hurry but ends up toppling over and rolling down all the steps.

 _H-he tripped?_ Despite seeing it happening before my very own eyes, I find it hard to believe. I cringe from hearing his body crashing at the end of the stairs and even before from hearing him scream. My heart nearly leaps out, when the rolling stops and I hurry down to see what kind of damage has been made, almost tripping myself at one point.

The brunette is against a wall that he must have crashed into to. He holds his head with a slight pained expression, before trying to stand up.

I quickly am by his side and despite a voice telling me to leave a crazy person alone, I won't. "Are you alright?"

Ace lets out a little chuckle and cracks one of his red eyes open to look up at me. It is strange, because I am used to be the one looking up at him. "T-that was pretty uncool."

"…" I stare at him, but then a chuckle of my own threatens to rise from my throat.

Is this person really dangerous?

I recall his question outside about the faceless and feel a cold chill. Ace doesn't notice this, though. He is too busy trying to stand up and I watch him carefully. _How can a nice person say something like that? How I wish I could have more options._


	4. Chapter 4: The blood of a prey

**Cerise Skyris: I was surprised how long review you had left.** **Though, it is the length that shocked me greatly.** **It is the first one on this chapter as well, which makes me very happy (extremely). As for your question regarding Alice, you will find her being mentioned in this chapter. :)**

* * *

Chapter 4

The blood of a prey

* * *

I am utterly exhausted. During the whole period of time that the sun has been up in the sky, I have had to pull Ace by the sleeve so he wouldn't go wandering away. The man mistakes right from left and forward from backwards. I wish he could at least listen to what I have to say, before suddenly deciding a new direction.

I wish the said man could also stay silent inside the tent. Even for a second, as I try to gather my thoughts while staring at the fire. However, it is kind of hard, because the wind has been getting kind of chilly for the past few minutes and I am shivering. Some of the fire's warmth does pass to me, but it is not quite enough. So, I curl my toes inside my shoes, pull my hands inside the sleeves and pull my hood over my head. _This is the worst. If only I had known things could end up this way, I would have worn something warmer, when I left home._

The chills that goes down my back reminds me of Julius, and with a good reason as well. I can still recall his cold gaze, when he was about to send me back - every time the same coldness passes through my body.

On the outside, the man looked normal, expect for his somewhat beautiful appearance. But he had a heart made of ice. And, it is starting to scare me a bit too much. Are other 'Role Holders' like him and Ace, then? Strange, but can make one feel so scared all of sudden?

I shudder out a breath and bring my knees closer to my chest in desperation to escape the cold. I really, don't understand either Ace or his hermit friend. They are so different – their characters are so out of the ordinary. Mostly with the knight, though. I have never met or interacted with someone like them, so how am I supposed to react? Am I supposed to run, or stay cautious and watch my mouth?

My arms hug myself even tighter. Scrunching of paper can be hear in the opening along side the fire cracking and I loosen my stiff form in surprise. That is right. I almost forgot Cass's drawings.

Quickly, I reach out inside my pocket and take out few crumbled papers and carefully open them. Seeing their slightly messed up state, I let out a small and quiet: "Shit!"

The first is a simple sketch of a building and I recognize it as her house. The lines are a bit roughened up where the shadows pass, and it is quite easy to see that Cass had been quick to do this. If she had taken her time, the drawing would look much smoother. The second drawing, though, is like that and I recognize it immediately. It is the sketch of the mansion we had visited – the source of all this trouble.

"What are you looking at?"

"Kyah!" A scream tears through me and I almost fall down from the trunk I am sitting on. "A-ace!"

He looks a bit taken aback by my reaction, but then laughs. "Sorry. Did I scare you?"

"A… a little," I say and look back to the drawings in my hands, trying to calm my wildly beating heart. Ace had been in the tent for a while now, but I didn't even hear him come out. So, his sudden appearance has made the hairs on my back straighten up in a second. Therefore, when he starts to lean over my shoulder curiously, I feel like my ribcage will burst wide open from the beating pressure growing inside of it.

"This is a nice drawing," he comments, actually sounding genuinely impressed.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable with having him near, I fold the papers and put them back inside my pockets, hopefully not seeming too rushing. "T-thanks. My friend drew them."

"The one who you are looking for. She is good," the knight smiles and then finally draws back. "I am going to cook some rabbit."

I let out a very soft sigh under my breath and nod absentmindedly… before frowning and whipping my head around to face him. "What rabbit – OH MY GOD!"

Right in the brunette's hand is a dead animal, a brown rabbit. It is being held up by its ears and the rest of the body is completely limp. Dark blood glitters in the fire's light but stops near even darker part on the mammal's neck, which is where there is a large gash running from side-to-side of its head. Few pecks of the blood flow fall down to the ground, creating small pitter patter sounds that will surely haunt me for a while. And, even if I want to close my eyes right now, I can't and stare at the corpse for a while in horror.

When I finally look at Ace, the one holding the poor, unfortunate thing, he blinks while looking at my pale face in confusion. Like a completely innocent child who doesn't realize he has done wrong. The sight of it makes my stomach turn around and I stop breathing.

"What is wrong?" I can't believe he even asks me that and as we dwell in silence, he seems to be putting pieces together. His face forms a perfect 'o' shape. "Oh. Outsiders don't like blood."

 _I am done._ I am so done dealing with crazy people for today. The long fingernails, I haven't got the chance to cut them, are digging into the trunk I am sitting on. Few of them have already been slightly broken and no doubt more will at this moment. Luckily, I have not eaten anything yet, and definitely do not have any appetite left.

Some distant corner of my mind, tells me that the knight is doing this to feed himself. I know in hunting animals are killed and all. But what shocks me the most is the way Ace reacts to my reaction and didn't consider it, before he brought up the dead rabbit.

"W-w-w-why a-are…" I stumble the words out, but then make my face freeze. "Y-you – You know what? I… I am g-going t-to s-sleep," shakily, I point towards the tent rise to my wobbly feet. I am starting to feel lightheaded and it gets harder and harder to even look at Ace without bursting into tears or screaming. "G-good night."

Ace probably wishes me the same, but I don't hear him while briskly walking into the tent with my ears ringing from the rushing blood in my veins. I am shaking, all over. And when I am near my sleeping back, all small strength in my legs fails and I collapse onto my knees.

Before I know it, I am shivering on the ground, the bruises on my back making it hard for me to find a comfortable position. But that is not the worst part of it, because I am crying the entire time I move to my side and can almost hear the sound of meat being cut from the outside. I feel sick, tired and downright shaken.

I am not sure, when I did fall asleep. But luckily, it happened before Ace had finished his meal.

* * *

" _What is this place?" I ask while looking around in confusion. I know that this is a dream, and it would be weird to ask something like that, but it is the only thing that pops into my mind._

 _There is no one around and it is completely silent all over. But, luckily there are some colors around me and smaller light spots that look like stars float around the place. It is like I am inside a blur, everything is blurry and strange, but when I look at my hands they seem normal. The only one or something that is even moving in this strange space is me. I fear that whatever is making the ground feel solid will soon disappear and I will be swallowed up._

 _Lowering my gaze, I watch as I try to take another few, careful steps forward. Feeling the solidness beneath my steps and making sure there are no holes where I might fall down from. When I am convinced it is safe, I start to take more surer steps._

 _ **What a strange dream.**_ _I thought that what I have been through by falling down a hole once was crazy enough, but what I am currently dreaming of makes less sense than that._

 _I don't feel like I am asleep or dreaming, at all… which doesn't really make sense._

 _I raise my hands to look at them again. I have never had a dream this specific – the spots on my arms are visible and so accurate. It is scary, and I whip my gaze around in slight panic. Did I end up in another strange place?_

" _Dreams are supposed to be strange."_

 _Goosebumps raise the hairs across my limbs and I turn around only to let out a shriek and fall down on my rear. The person, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, chuckles while floating in mid-air._

 _My eyes widen considerably, and I crawl back in a hurry. The first thing I even bother to notice about this person, is that he is a male with an eyepatch. As for how he is floating, it perplexes me, but then I realize, if this is a dream, then everything is pretty much possible in this place. Even some weird man with even weirder clothes and greyish hair._

 _His expression twitches and then he points at me with a smoking stick. "Hey! I am not weird! And what is wrong with my clothes?!"_

 _I blink confusedly, if not a little shocked. But then dismiss those feelings and stand up slowly, not taking my eyes off of the man. "Who are you?"_

 _Now, it is his turn to look taken back, but after a second, he composes himself. "You aren't surprised?"_

 _I frown and cross my arms across my chest. "This is a dream."_

"… _Yes," he lets out a small laugh, with his eyebrows knitted, and then sits back on air. "Of course."_

" _You didn't answer my question," I say, but honestly, I could care less what his name is anymore. So, I sit down and stare up at him curiously. I didn't know that my imagination could create someone like this._

 _He blinks his single eye and then looks down at me. "I am not part of your imagination."_

" _Yes, you are," I say and start to play with my hair. "You are in my dream."_

" _Well… you are half-right on that," he mutters, but I can hear him. But when neither of us say anything he floats closer and I stiffen. Dream or no dream, after meeting Ace and Julius you can never trust anyone no matter where you are. This man can also be the same. "Hey, don't go comparing me with those two."_

" _Reading peoples' minds is rude," I say, but can't stop a grin from spreading across my face. "Can you repeat this?"_

 _He seems to frown lightly for a second and I stare intently at him, waiting for his reply. This is a dream, so I can enjoy myself for a while._

" _Chocolate, strawberries, puppies and…. a bear?" His frown deepens, like he doesn't understand what he is hearing or saying._

 _My grin widens, and a laugh comes out of my mouth. "Oh my god! You nailed it!" However, my laugher dims, when I notice a single grey eye staring at me. I stare back in puzzlement for why the atmosphere suddenly changes into a more serious one. With all the stress I have been under for over a day, this dream should at least try to cheer me up. Or maybe, my mind has given up on me as well and soon this dream will turn into a nightmare? I don't like that idea._

 _I pull my legs closer to my chest and place my chin on top of my knees. I wish that I could see Cass in my dreams at least. She has been constantly on my mind, so why can't I see her here? Instead, I got this stranger. I can smell the smoke from his pipe despite our distance and it makes my nose cringe out of instinct._

 _The man pulls the pipe away just as I show a look of disgust and then smiles. "Sorry."_

" _You don't look like it."_

 _He merely shrugs and blows smoke out of his mouth. "My name is Nightmare Gottschalk. I am a dream demon."_

 _I snort, both from his ridiculous name and what exactly he is. There is no way a man with such flashy clothes could be a demon. Though, I am relieved that there is something amusing in this dream, so I start to laugh, shoulders shaking. However, as soon as I start to laugh something splatters and I stop immediately._ _ **What the…?**_

 _When I raise my head, Nightmare is on the ground, shaking and holding his face with one hand. At first, I get worried and think he is crying, but then there is that strange splattering sound again and I lean a bit closer. To my absolute horror, there is blood on the ground and more is coming from beneath the dream demon's hand. Much like him, I cover my face, but from different reasons._

 _For a second, I recall what happened before I fell asleep, but quickly push that memory aside. I don't want to live in that moment ever again._

" _Are you alright?!" My voice sounds panicked, and I scoot slightly back._

" _Y-yes…" Nightmare says weakly and takes a napkin from his pocket with shaky movements. "T-this h-happens all t-the time."_

 _I frown and then shake my head. "That doesn't sound good. You should go to a hospital."_

" _N-no w-way," the dream demon refuses and turns to look at me with a twitching grimace. There are small splatters of blood on the corner of his mouth._

" _If you cough blood, then it is serious!" Despite this being somewhat of a very realistic_ _ **dream**_ _, I get extremely worried for this person's health._ _ **Wait! Is it… contagious?**_

 _Nightmare shakes his head. "N-no – H-hey! Why are you trying to get awa-"_

 _I flinch, when his words are cut off by a violent cough and more blood comes out of his mouth. "Y-yeah. I insist that you go and see a doctor or something."_

" _No!" He floats up, the drops of blood coming from his mouth already stopping. "…I don't like hospitals."_

" _Many cancer patients don't, but they still go," I state and cross my arms. "Well, I guess it is a bit strange and late for me to say this, but – my name is Lily."_

" _Yes. I know."_

 _Of course. This is my dream after all. Now I only feel silly for even saying my name and look down at the small start-like dots floating their way somewhere below me. The surface I am sitting on is surprisingly smooth and hard._

" _You are looking for your friend, right?" Nightmare asks and starts to smoke from his pipe._

 _I frown from seeing a sick person ruin his already destroyed lungs like that but refrain from saying it. My mind starts to be filled with the images of my best friend instead and I nod solemnly. "Yeah. I hope she is alright, though."_

" _What is her name?"_

" _Shouldn't you already know it?"_

"… _Cass, right?"_

 _I nod and smile a little. "Her actual name is Cassandra, but she doesn't like people calling her that."_

" _Hm. I wonder why," Nightmare wonders out loud to nobody in practically and floats on his back._

 _His comment makes me grin. "I know, right? It is a bit of a mouthful, but I like it."_

 _Nightmare chuckles, but then floats closer again. He peers into my face with seriousness that makes my smile drop. His single eye stares into my face intensely for the second time and makes my stomach twitch. I am certain that I will not like what he is going to say next. I can see it from his expression, I can feel it in the atmosphere and this peaceful conversation itself felt too good to be true._

 _I fear that Nightmare is about to make my mood sourer by telling me something that I fear. That Cass is indeed dead or is dying, at least that is how nightmares usually work. They won't give me a single peace of mind._

" _There won't be any nightmares," the grey-haired man reaches out to touch a single strand of my hair, "I do not know where your friend might be, though."_

" _No surprise," I state and look down with a frown, before sighing. "Why am I having a dream like this?"_

 _Nightmare doesn't say anything, but I do feel his hand brush against my hair, which doesn't bother me that much. Instead, I kind of let him play with my locks, relaxing from the soothing sensation. This is what I need, for now. No fear, no anxiety and no more talk about_ _ **death**_ _. I have thought it as my possible fate, for a while now, especially in Cass's case. Not to mention that dead rabbit Ace brought with him out of nowhere. I know I said to myself that I don't want to think about the bloody scene anymore, but the thoughts keep on pushing themselves through the mental block._

 _The hand in my hair pauses and I know that Nightmare can hear every bit of my thoughts. And, in some sadistic way from frustration and fear, I want him to. To see the image of the limp animal in his own head. To feel the same way I did, when I saw it myself. The horror, disgust and repulse along with fear for my own safety._

 _For a moment, I saw myself as the rabbit and Ace as…._

 _My thoughts are interrupted by Nightmare's stroking, which suddenly continues. Usually, the only ones who place their hand on top of my head are my parents. Mostly my mother, since she loves playing with my hair. Slowly, I lift my eyes up to his single one. He is smiling softly at me and then finally lands his hand on top of my head. From this distance, I can smell the smoke, again._

" _Try not to think about it too much," the eyepatch man says and gives my head a little stroke. "The knight might be more than a little obnoxious sometimes, and you have every reason to be wary of him."_

" _Then, should I get away from him?" It is stupid to ask something like an advice in a dream. I have never done it, so the words taste funny in my mouth._

 _But, I don't really know who else to turn to._

" _I didn't say that," Nightmare pulls his hand away and puts the pipe into his mouth. He keeps it there for a while and then blows another smoke cloud out._

" _For now, you should stay with him. But…"_

 _The world starts to fade from its strange colors. I can see how Nightmare's form and voice become unclear and blurry. I start to panic, but then realize that I am probably waking up and close my eyes._

" _Do_ _ **not**_ _step over the line."_

* * *

At first, I am well aware that I am laying in a tent. I remember where I fell asleep and can feel the hardness of the ground under me. The pressure against it and slight twitch of my muscles, though, activate the aching of the bruises and my face scrunches from the sensation. However, what is different is that there is a hand on my shoulder and that is enough to trigger a reaction from me. I am alerted, and not because of the strange dream, but knowing exactly in what _world_ I am still in and whose hand it might definitely be.

My eyes snap wide open and I immediately see Ace's smiling face greeting me the first thing in the morning, sunlight coming through the tent's door. I blink tiredly up at him and once he sees this, the knight draws his hand back, something I am happy about. Actually, I only now realize that I had gone stiff the moment I saw his face.

"Good morning," he says cheerfully.

Unlike Ace, I am not a morning person and do not like early hours. So, I can only stare half-awake and recall that I am supposed to be wary of this person. But, he is also the one who is helping me, so I open my mouth and say quietly: "Morning."

He continues smiling pleasantly. "You have drool on your chin."

"Huh?"

It takes me a second to comprehend and process his voice, but when I do, I blanch and quickly reach out to wipe my mouth, horrified. _Why did he have to point it out!?_

Ace laughs loudly and I can feel my face flush into deep scarlet. His laugher annoys me as much as it is embarrassing, and I can't ignore it. So, I simply keep my face low enough for my bangs to cover it, which can be only achieved, if I twist my back nearly ninety degrees forward. However, after a second of thought, I know that the position makes me look even more ridiculous with my tousled hair and dirty bangs brushing my thighs.

The laugher continues for a while, but I do not simply continue simply sitting in the sleeping bag and actually get up. The areas covered in bruises ache and I need to grit my teeth while trying to stand up. Thanks to the walking Ace has made me go through, even the muscles in my legs are hurting. It is crazy how someone can walk around the place without getting tired after many hours. I do not have a clock with me, but I know Ace has walked long distance with much more stamina than I have.

The sunlight pierces my eyes, as soon as I step out and am assaulted with fresh air. To my surprise, the time period is now at evening and I am looking at pinkish orange sky instead of a mid-day one with blue one. Once again, I am reminded of the absurdness of my situation and look down at the ground.

Somehow, I wish that what I am seeing would be a normal sunrise.

"Gloomy Mouse," Ace strolls out of the tent with the signature smile of his and stops next to me. I do not have time to react to his approach, so I settle into staying still and giving him an embarrassed glance. The moment our eyes meet, though, my face flushes and I have to look away, again. "I am sorry. Will you forgive me?"

I want to say 'no', I absolutely do. It has been a while, since I have suffered this kind of humiliation, and in the middle of a morning, when I am supposed to wake up in peace. I am so frustrated I could cry but clench my fists tightly instead.

"It is… alright," I say quietly and bite my lower lip in silence.

Ace's voice brightens. "Glad I am forgiven, then. Alright! Let's eat some breakfast and get going."

When he is safe distance away, I glance at the knight dressed in red. The mention of food brought memories from the last eve's fire back and I start to feel sick. Still, I have to eat, right? Otherwise, I couldn't possibly continue searching for Cass. _That is right. Keep on thinking about her. And before I know it, we will be both back at home._

Calmly, if not still a bit tired, I sit down with my knees tightly together. Ace starts to boil some warm soup and I can smell it, when a wind blows some of the scent to my direction. Still, it does nothing to wipe away the clenching feeling in the back of my throat or the nauseous from my stomach. I feel so weak and have to take in deep breaths, which helps a little.

Now that I think about it, I always inhale deeply many times, whenever I am in a pinch.

Ace holds out a bowl to me. "Here. It is the same soup we ate during the first night time period."

Biting down on my tongue, I slowly take the bowl and nod my head meekly. "Thank you."

We both start to eat, in silence. This isn't the first time, but the silence that Ace is giving off gives me a bad feeling. I am on my guard, though, so it explains why I am giving to this detail so much attention. Even Nightmare of my dream told me not to cross a line, so I can definitely let that happen. The knight comes off as an easygoing person, with overly cheerful and obvious personality, but that is what makes him more dangerous. He could easily strangle me and smile from it – the thing I fear the most. Why did he have to ask, if I wanted the faceless to be killed with such a normal looking way? Is he so used to death… or possibly to killing? If he is like this, what truly is the rest of this world like?

A chill goes down my spine, and the soup warms me up from the inside. It is delicious, and I realize exactly how hungry I am. The nauseous feeling washes away, and I start to eat more eagerly.

I am lucky – I have a shelter and food. But my worst fear is how long exactly this all will last.

Suddenly, I glance at Ace and manage to see him staring at me. I almost choke on the food going down my throat and quickly look away. I feel like I am doing that a lot lately, with Ace mostly involved. The beating of my heart grows frantic and I manage to finally look back at him.

His red eyes meet mine and we don't say anything for a while.

Until I open my mouth.

"Is… something wrong?"

"You're truly different."

"Huh?"

A smile spreads across Ace's face and he sets his empty bowl to the side. "I thought that all Outsiders are the same. But I guess I was wrong."

It is now my turn to stare at him for a while, before choosing my words carefully. "What did you think Out-outsiders would be like?"

"Like Alice. The foreigner who came before you and your friend," he tells and pokes at the small flames that are starting to wear themselves out.

"You meant to say that there is another one? What happened to her?" I ask curiously, all precautions shoved to the side. This is a new information that I could use!

"She started to sleep with a mafia boss."

...

...

...

"W-what?" Flabbergasted, I stare at him dumbly and almost drop the spoon in my hand from hearing his answer. _S-sleep, a-as in… in the same bed?_ My face starts to warm up for the second time during this morning, but probably not enough for it to be noticeable. "A… mafia boss?"

Ace nods his head, continuing his smiling like what he said didn't sound overly crazy. "Yes. The Hatter to be precise. They are very dangerous."

"T-then, was she forced… to do what she… did?" I finish lamely, the heat on my cheeks growing with every word. But, some part of me feels also terrified.

"Not really. Though, that man can be a bit pushy," Ace laughs at the end, which I found horrible.

"Did she have a chance to return?"

"She did," Ace looks up at the sky and leans back, seeming to be closing his eyes. "But she chose to stay instead."

That takes me by surprise. "But why?"

I would think she should have been ecstatic to have a chance like she did. Especially, if this world has a mafia and she had to deal with its leader. That surely would feel scary to me. Especially, if my life was in danger the whole time, as well. But not only that, didn't this 'Alice' have a family she wanted to return to? Surely, she wouldn't stay just to… have an… _affair_ with someone.

Ace grins. "Maybe she had a very _good_ time with the Hatter?"

The suggestive way he says it makes the heat on my face become too intense and my jaw drops slightly. Now, I have heard far more embarrassing stuff coming out of my friends' mouths, but this came out of nowhere from _Ace._ It throws me slightly off guard and fills the air with awkwardness that the knight doesn't seem to be capable of detecting. I have no idea, though, if he is being serious or simply jokes around about this topic.

To me, this isn't a joke and should be taken more seriously. So, the flush on my skin isn't only from embarrassment, but from irritation as well.

"Are you thinking about something dirty? Didn't take you to be that kind of girl, Gloomy Mouse."

If there was anything in my mouth, I would want to sputter it out. "W-what!?"

"Well, if I had known you liked stuff like this, then I would have said something sooner."

"D-do not a-assume things on your own!" I raise my voice, but don't dare to try yelling.

Ace is once again, completely oblivious to my distress and smiles pleasantly. "Hmm? What do you mean? You aren't like that?"

"Of course, not!" My hands clench and I start to dig in the rest of the soup. _How does one even assume things like that!?_

"Then, do you want to hear about-"

"No! Thank you, but no. I want to eat in peace," I finish more quietly and let out a sigh under my breath. The heat of my blushing cheeks and the food is overwhelming, but I stubbornly swallow every last bit of the nutrition filled liquid. _God, if you so much as exist, give me strength!_

Compared to my little brother, Ace is much quicker at getting my blood pressure up. They are not at all alike, though – the personalities are way off. Although, the little boy that I know has the same innocent smile and tone. The ones he uses to avoid getting into trouble. That is another part that he and Ace have in common. But… unlike this knight, I do not think my brother could stand the sight of a dead animal, just like me. And now, I am reminded of my family by bringing my sibling up in my thoughts. How are they doing, when I have not returned home, yet? Fear of the panic my parents are definitely in makes my stomach clench. Stress is something my father doesn't need right now, especially when he has a big project coming up with a new building. And, my mother will definitely start crying hysterically from my disappearance along with Cass's. They all will blow up. Literally call an army to-

I inhale deeply and take one last spoonful into my mouth. _Calm, calm, calm. I will get back home. There is nothing to worry about. Everything. Is. Just. Peachy!_

"Thank you, for the food," I say and place the bowl down, surprisingly calmly. The inner mantra seems to have worked.

"You're welcome," Ace says cheerfully and stands up, stretching his arms. "Well, we should be going now…"

I stand up, being careful with the bruises, and leave my own bowl on top of the knight's. He will take care of it, but I should probably help him with the tent.

However, just as I am about to take another step, I see red – Ace's eyes, his cape and hues in the evening sky.

His hands are on both of my shoulders, pushing down towards the ground, and I only realize this when I am already falling. The air brushes the sides of my body for a second, before I meet the ground with Ace's weight on top of me.

I see stars and they become blurry from the salty tears that gather into my eyes. The impact causes sharp jolts of pain shoot up and down my spine all the way to the tips of my toes. I can feel how my sensitive, bruised skin suffers, throbs and burns from the damage and a silent scream causes my mouth open widely.

I close my eyes, from both the indescribable pain and fearing that Ace will do something worse to me. But then-

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

Three piercing sounds hurt my ears and one sounds like it passes by quite near where Ace and I are laying. I stiffen, but still twitch in pain and crack my tear-filled eyes open to stare at the top of a head with brown hair moving in the soft breeze. It is strange, but my frozen state must have risen to such a level that I take notice of lighter and darker shaded strands. Every sense is sensitive to a small change and even the body heat above me is starting to burn through the layers of my clothes and skin all the way to my bones. I can't breathe and choose to simply stay absolutely still.

I know what kinds of objects can make a sound like the ones I heard a second ago. They were loud and reminded me of a firework show I saw during New Year's Eve. However, there are no colors occupying the pink hued sky and everything is too silent. At least, I can't see any through my blurry vision. Stars are dancing in my eyes and a silent whimper escapes past my lips. I don't know what else to do, anyways. I am hurting all over, my ears are still ringing, and I can't move up because of the heavy male on top.

Ace, who doesn't move for what feels like ages, slowly lets out a soft chuckle and pushes some of his weight off of me. The heat vanishes and is instead replaced by cold and goosebumps appear all over my body from simply hearing the knight let out such a sound.

So much unlike me, he isn't shaken nor has a stiff expression on his face. He is still managing to keep up the same pleasant smile on his face and gets off of me with a huff. I watch his movements, too scared to move from the ground in any direction. The grass beneath me feels chilly and prickles the back of my head through the mass of my hair.

"Boo! Surprise attacks are not fair," Ace complains with a cheerful disposition. He turns to look at the opposite end of the camp, the end of the cape fluttering in the wind.

The way he speaks so calmly makes me feel slightly better. But as I am trying to sit up my hands are shaking, and I use every little bit of my strength to keep myself upright. Although, that strength nearly vanishes, when I see new figures standing across the outline of trees. They are all faceless, something which makes my stomach drop, and are all wearing dark suits and holding _guns_ in their hands.

The weapons are pointing at us.

I get only one second to try and think with a blank mind, before Ace is in my personal space again and scoops me up by wrapping and arm around my waist.

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

This time I can actually see flashes of the bullets over the brunette's shoulder. Although, their flying direction is not visible, my breath hitches, when I realize they hit every spot Ace has run on.

The wind makes some of my hair move in the way of my wide-eyed gaze and I squeeze my eyes shut, holding the knight for dear life. The terror of running away from the bear was only a fraction compared to what I am feeling now.

 _Why!?_

Ace had said that some faceless do have weapons, but I would have never expected to encounter them in the middle of a forest. There are no roads or such anywhere in the area, at least, not as far as I know of. But this seems to be proving me wrong.

"Stay low, Gloomy Mouse," Ace says, before dumping me down to the ground near a tree.

Instantly, I crawl behind the tall trunk and curl up into a ball like a child under a cover of its bed. I do not think about Ace's safety, nor will he alright by standing out in the open like he is. I am completely focused on my own well-being and the shaking horror I am going through.

 _Why are they attacking us!?_

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

 _ **CLANG!**_

I flinch from the new sound, which sounds far from a gun's. It isn't an explosive, but more like metal hitting against other metal.

Not wanting to discover anything and fearing things are getting worse, I cover my ears quickly and squeeze my eyes tightly shut. Tears slide through the eyelids, though, and I let out pathetic noises. The covering of my ears does almost nothing to muffle the horrible noises.

 _It is not happening! It is not real! I am fine! I will wake up back at the house and this will all be a nightmare!_ I flinch from every inner word and the sound of a bullet. I am sinking into denial that any of this is currently happening, while the gunshots ring in my ears. Thinking that these will be my last moments, I silently send prayers and goodbyes. _Mother, I am sorry I never really tried my best at school._ _Father, I am sorry for spraying the noodles on your computer. Oliver, I am sorry for not watching your school play a year ago. Cass, I am sorry for not finding you!_

 _ **BANG! BANG! CLANG! BANG! CLANG!**_

"Gaaaaah!" The screams are even more horrifying than the gunshots.

The world is spinning, and everything falls deadly silent. I feel cold, lonely on the ground and silently weep for not being able to do anything to save myself. I can't run, for my legs are like jelly and shake badly.

Truthfully, I don't want to accept that this will be the place where I will die, when the world I am in isn't supposed to exist.

A shadow surrounds me – it appears out of nowhere. Every last bit of warmth I have left in my body disappears and a cold chill goes down my back. The whole time the shooting has gone on, I have been struggling with trying to breathe, but I guess I don't have to anymore. So, I simply stop drawing breaths in and wait for the next piercing sound and maybe a slight bit of pain before everything would go black.

But it never comes, and I start to think the new presence is enjoying seeing my weeping and shaking form. What a sick, twisted humor my killer has.

"Hey, Gloomy Mouse. The route is clear," the voice says with a clear hint of smile in it.

My eyes snap open, resulting for the last tears go down from them against my wet cheeks. A joint, or maybe a bone, snaps in my neck, as I twist it sharply to look at the cause of the shadow. My mouth dries, and it opens and closes, as I keep on looking at the person with wide eyes. The trembling stops, and I can now hear my own heartbeat. It has risen its pace quite a lot and drums harshly against the ribcage.

Ace keeps on smiling down at me with hands on his hips, while my whole body slackens. I can't stop staring at him, like he is a ghost, and follow robotically him crouch down to my level.

"A-ace?" His name comes out of my mouth as a wheeze.

He tilts his head. "Yes?"

"Y-you a-are alright?" I manage to say the last word without stuttering. The rest sounded like unbearable blabber.

"Yes. What about you?" He asks kindly and sits down comfortably, like nothing had happened a moment ago with the faceless.

My mouth opens and closes, no sound leaving from it for the second time. My mind is officially turned off, but as I am looking at the red knight smiling, my eyes start to burn. I am not sure what has happened, or how is this even possible, but that pretty much doesn't matter. Ace is fine, so things must have been taken care of. He couldn't be standing before me alive, if they weren't. I can't think but can feel relief flooding into my chest.

It lasts only three seconds, before I see the stains on his hands.

They are small, as red as the color of his coat. Few forms lines to the tips of Ace's fingers and fall down to the grass filled earth. Somewhere, in the furthest back of my mind, I pray that what I am seeing is paint.

The knight notices my stiff state and its source after a minute of pregnant silence. He raises his hands and I can see the drying liquid more clearly. "Things got a bit messy. I should probably clean these."

I feel sick and cold, while looking at his face. He shouldn't be smiling from saying or seeing something like this. However, it clarifies something terrible to me – the blood isn't his. And that drains the colors from my skin. Suddenly, I feel like the gunshots have begun for the second time and that I should hide as fast as I can.

"Ace," his name is alarming on my lips, and I regret even opening my mouth. His attention is once again on me and I shudder from the innocent expression he is wearing. "Wh-what did y-you… Those f-faceless – d-did y-you _k-kill_ them?"

"Yes."

Ice spreads all over the veins, freezing any kind of blood cell and muscle. The heart, however, continues beating loudly inside my chest and my eyes widen further. Ace's expression doesn't change, though. He stands up calmly and starts to dust his bloodied hands on the coat, leaving darker red handprints on the fabric. I can't tear my eyes away from his calm actions nor can I seem to move my body. I was unable to do so before, but now I feel paralyzed. Everything starts to feel blurry, and I realize why that is only when Ace points it out.

"Why are you crying? There is no need to be scared anymore," he says and crouches back down, an action I wish he wouldn't do. "Were you hurt?"

I flinch violently, when he reaches out. The blood is still on his hand. I lean back, staring at his hand in terror and close my eyes tightly. "Don't touch me!"

The tip of his finger brushes against my forehead and I clench my fists. However, his touch doesn't move further and actually disappears. Hot tear slides down from my right eye and I grit my teeth together. _Stay away, stay away!_

"Oh," is the only sound the knight lets out, before the sound of his rustling clothes fills the area. "Right. You don't like blood."

My lower lip trembles and I open my eyes. But I don't look at Ace, instead, I focus on the ground. "H-how… h-how d-did…"

"Hmm? What is it? I can't hear you."

I inhale shakily. "How d-did y-you k-kill… them?"

"Well, first I cut off one of the faceless' arms and then-"

"NO!" I cover my ears with my hands and shake my head wildly. This is definitely not a method I want to hear.

"Hey, you wanted to hear, so-"

"Stop it! I do not want to hear!" I yell and let tears come out of my eyes. "I do not want to hear! Please, stop!"

Ace stays silent, while I weep on the ground. However, I am not thankful for that – I do not have the strength to feel any such thing towards a murderer. The tears that I am crying are a sign of my fear and sadness towards the circumstances I have had to go through. _I hate this! I HATE THIS!_ I finally understand to whom those cries from before belonged to. But, it is surprising that I feel remorse towards the faceless, whose fates I do not want to know or see.


	5. Chapter 5: Clock strikes for a deal

**Hello everyone! I apologize for the truly long wait.**

 **I have been busy with general life stuff and my other stories. But my exam week just ended, and I am free again! Then, I discovered this unfinished chapter this week and decided to write. I had to take a quick peek at the previous chapters to remember where I left and pull together my notes as well. But an inspiration hit, and this is the product of it.**

 **And to those who have only recently discovered this story, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Cerise Skyris: How is Lily in terms of characteristics? Well, she is pretty much (to put simply) another silly normal girl. She cares for her friends just like any other person, she has her gloomy and depressed moments like any other person as well. However, I would agree that anyone in her situation would be more than a bit startled. Though, Lily is also a bit of a scaredy-cat, like in the first chapter, when Cass was telling her a ghost story about the mansion (my OC doesn't like scary stuff). But she also doesn't want to abandon her friend, even while not really being sure whether she is in the Country of Hearts, and she also struggles with this decision in terms of a typical human mindset of right and wrong. Also, she is sometimes easily frustrated, especially when things won't be making sense to her in Wonderland.**

 **Guest (1): Thanks! I will try, despite the somewhat busy schedule of life. Hope you will continue reading this story.  
**

 **zazee (Guest): I agree. There are good fanfictions generally with HNKNA characters and OCs, but fewer stories with Ace as a partner option. Sorry, if I made you and all the others wait a bit too long. I have not updated since April, but here is a new chapter for you.**

 **Guest (2): Aw! Thank you! I pray that you have managed to wait this long for this new chapter. Sorry again for not updating for months.**

 **xmLku (Guest): And thank you for also reviewing on my story! I also hope that you are still reading this story as well.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Clock strikes for a deal

* * *

 _He's a monster._

It is still evening, and the sun keeps on glaring down at me from the side. But, that is the least of my concerns, currently at least. Usually, it is the sweat that bothers me more than anything. I am not the kind of person who enjoys jogging for hours and then basks in my own body fluids. Though, this sweat in my armpits and the back of my neck, are the result of the real concern and certain _someone_.

My stomach clenches, needles feel like they prick against its flesh. I just want to lay down somewhere, for my aching feet and bruises are infuriatingly painful. _Please let this be over and let me find…_

"Gloomy Mouse, wait for me!" It takes a lot of self-control not to flinch or jump away when Ace literally appears beside me in a matter of seconds. He smiles and keeps up with my – suddenly quick – pace. "We should probably go that-"

I shoot him a look. "No."

"But we would get-"

" _No,"_ I grit through my teeth. A silent voice in the back of my head tells me to have more patience with this man, but I ignore it. Nobody can be this dense about their bad sense of direction and expect others to follow them. I decide to voice my thoughts out loud, though, my tone is much calmer, if not a bit tense. "Y-you will make us get lost. Do you understand me? We were on a road a second ago, but you… Haven't you noticed it already or are you… simply doing this on…" I feel suddenly much more unsafe around the brunette and hesitant to speak, "purpose?"

Like a lost puppy, Ace tilts his head innocently like one of those cartoon characters. "Hm? Doing what?"

"Getting lost," I say bluntly, but with a tone that hopefully isn't rude or offensive. The images of what happened maybe hours ago flash in my eyes and send chills down my body. _Calm, calm, calm. Just breathe. In and out._

The inner mantra, though, has almost zero effect on me. My palms are sweaty, and I can feel how both of my shoulders start to tense up. I am immediately reminded one of the psychology courses I had taken around a year ago and remember one function that each human has: Fight or flight reaction. The latter is something that has made my muscles active for what feels like forever now.

Ace doesn't say anything for a while, but his expression isn't one that shows irritation or displeasure. Instead, he is thoughtfully smiling and locking his hands behind his head. Red colored eyes – _the same as blood_ – stare up towards the clear sky.

"I must be cursed. There is nothing I can do about it," he shrugs.

 _Cursed?_ I actually frown, but then smoothen my expression. Another wave of pain hits my stomach and I avert my gaze, a little worried. This place is indeed different – exceeding any kind of normal even though I have not seen that much yet – so hearing about cursed people makes me more alert. My mind works an hour in a minute, wildly assuming thoughts filling it. I begin to link the curse and Ace's killing sprint as something that are connected – cue, my face pales.

However, I then calm down, realizing what kind of 'curse' we are actually talking about here. Relief washes over me and I relax visibly by dropping my shoulders down from the level of my ears. An urge to faceplant nearly makes my hand move, too. _He means his sense of direction._

I almost want to laugh, but then become serious. It isn't something that anyone should get worked up about – much less refer it as a curse – but now that I have been witnessing it for the first hand – the worst and the most stressful experience of my life – it isn't something to be taken flippantly.

 _That is sad,_ is what I almost say, but bite on my tongue.

He killed those faceless people. No matter how abnormal or scary they had been – I can't believe I am thinking like this after they tried to shoot us – they are dead now. They are corpses, which I hadn't luckily seen. But, Ace clearly had had blood on him and the memory of it makes any kind of pity I have, disappear instantaneously. I am walking next to a smiling murderer – a maniac. He had even tried to describe the way he had finished them off… I am starting to feel sick again.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I take in a deep breath. "Ace. Do you have any idea where my friend could be? Also, how big is this place – country, or whatever?"

"Hmm… Nope!" He answers and then lowers his arms. "But I do know that the Heart country is pretty large."

 _Such a detailed description._ I play with my sleeves, they are all wrinkled."Where exactly did you and I meet? Maybe Cass is there as well."

Ace looks at me and smiles. "I don't remember."

I almost start crying helplessly. I should have not asked direction from this man in the first place. I must be too shocked and traumatized from what has happened to think straight. But I want to slap myself for being stupid. He is the one who has made us wander around these woods in the first place. Also, I should be thankful that we have not collided with that aggressive bear yet because of him again.

A shiver comes and goes up my spine from the memory of that beast chasing us. I will not want to see another bear any time soon, or ever. Or even the smallest amount of blood – _No, no. Don't think about it._

 _But he still_ _ **killed**_ _them!_ I am paling, I must have been doing it so much lately because I know it happens immediately. And, I acknowledge the fact that I am starting to take side steps away from the smiling brunette. I should really start running. What is the point of staying with him anyway? He has done almost nothing but caused problems for me. He has been doing nothing but being a – _A killer. I have to get away._

Nearly nothing comes into my mind for a moment, but then I perk up from one single thought. He is so _bad_ with directions, I can use that as an advantage. He can't possibly find me then… But where exactly will I be running to? I don't know anything about this place – world. It would be like going out into a labyrinth. I bite down on my lower lip that has started to sting. Maybe I should try asking what kind of other dangers there is in this world first?

"A-ace," I start, inhale and stop, "can… can you tell me…" I turn around but then freeze like a rabbit. "Ace?"

He is nowhere to be seen and the fact makes me feel cold. The ice spreads further, when I start turning – more like whirling – around. Nothing else, but a forest with dark brown trunks and green leaves and grass is locked in my sight. Not a single peck of red coat or eyes anywhere. My heart hammers behind my ribcage from the coursing adrenaline as the shadows of the trees feel like they are getting bigger. I am suddenly feeling very tiny and visible to anything that might be lurking behind the trees.

"Ace?" I try again, my voice frighteningly steady and completely opposite of what I am feeling. The sun is being blocked by the trees, so the light can't make the sweat forming on my forehead shine. "Ace! Ace! This isn't funny!"

A sense of déjà vu washes over me, the scenes when I had been chasing after Cass appear. This all feels like what had happened back at that old building. I start to walk briskly into aimless direction and then panic. _There is no way that Ace left me here, right?_ Obviously, he must have.

Not feeling any sense of betrayal, but anger instead, I almost want to scream my lungs out. Though a rustling sound in the nearest bush makes me jump and I back down against one of the harsh trunks.

"W-W-Whose is t-there!?" No second later after I stutter out that question, a single brown bird flies out and into the sky. I stare after it stupidly, before letting out a huge sigh. It is a mix of relief and the tension being released throughout my stiff body. As a result, I close my eyes and my shoulders drop. "A bird… Just a bird."

As if the very same flying animal wants to mock me, it chirps from somewhere above. It sounds like laughter to my ears, which leads me to think about the handful of times one certain brunette had done the same. My hands clench and I grit my teeth slightly and then slap my palm against the tree trunk in frustration.

I should have not trusted him in the first place. How hard was it for me to simply say no to him the very first time that he decided to drag me with him? Of course, now that I know what he is capable of, he could have probably killed me on the spot from that. Though, he could have planned on doing that at some point. That is probably why he didn't let Julius take me away – why he was insistent on helping me. But now, he had had enough and decided to dump me in the middle of nowhere. Thinking like that, it is like he is throwing garbage or a boring toy away. But once again, I do not feel any kind of betrayal or hurt.

A shaky breath comes out of my mouth as I try to process the information going through my brain. There is a small amount of fear in me from merely standing in the middle of this place, but I remain on my spot. _He is gone now, so… I am free to go, right? He won't attack from somewhere. Right?_

The so-called nickname Ace had invented for me comes back with every small and careful step I start to take. I am acting like a scared mouse.

Now, my only problem will be where to find Cass. It isn't a large improvement, but at least I don't have to worry about Ace anymore.

There is another rustling sound coming from somewhere, but I ignore it and continue moving forward. It is probably another bird and I will not jump because of it again. I already feel humiliated enough from being so easily frightened.

 _As if I will be spooked by an animal a-_

A shadow appears to my side and no other thought comes into my mind when a warm body collides with mine. The force feels like it knocks all the wind out of me, as I fall down together with the person. A shriek comes out of my mouth from the feeling of foreign body warmth.

The ground meets my back, but I manage to somehow soften the fall with my arms. Though, the weight of the stranger makes it harder not to smash the back of my already bruised head against the ground. I am left frozen for a mere second under their weight until snapping and trying to crawl backward and away.

"W-who a-are you!? Get off!" Without any hesitation, I slam the palm of my hand against the face of the assaulter. There is a nice and loud sound of smack in the air and a squeaky yelp of pain. I continue repeating this process with every word until my skin starts to tingle from hot stinging. "I said. Get. Off!"

"O-ow! P-please s-stop!" The person begs, the voice as squeaky as his yelps.

I stop hitting when I feel the weight being lifted off of me and watch the stranger back away rather quickly. However, my hand remains up in the air – ready strike again if they will try something. Although, the glare that formed naturally on my startled face fades when I take in the full appearance of this new person. It makes me feel a tad bit guilty from hitting them – him.

It is a young man, or perhaps a boy, with the most peculiar clothes and hair I have ever seen. Green fabric clashes with his reddish hair with a yellow streak on long bangs, which is a messy combination. There is even some red alongside the green coat he wears, and I also take notice of a small black hat on top of his head. Though, the strangest feature about this boy are the two pairs of brown round ears. They twitch slightly.

Petrified of what I am seeing a choked noise leaves from my half-open mouth. It makes the ears twitch more and goosebumps spread all across my body from the small movement.

It – he raises his gaze and just then a single tear comes out of his one visible green eye. The other one is covered by his bangs. But, that single green eye is wide enough to tell that even its owner and I are both startled by each other's presence.

 _H-he has ears!_ If I was alone and somewhere quiet, I would have yelled out loud that sentence. Now, though, my lips smack shut and every muscle in my body is made out of stone.

He stares. I keep staring back, with an expression much more flabbergasted than his.

After what feels like an eternity, the strange boy's quivering lips move. "W-why d-did you h-hit me!?"

"E-eh?" I stutter back, watching a new set of tears dropping down against his face. It almost makes me feel guilty, but not enough. "You are the one who appeared out of nowhere and attacked me!"

"M-me?" He asks and points shakily at himself.

"Yes, you!" I yell back, finding a bit more courage to raise my voice. My heartbeat continues beating wildly behind my ribcage and its sound reaches into my ears as well. The anger rising inside just adds fuel to the fire.

He flinches immediately and starts backing away like he is the one in danger here. "W-why a-are y-you y-yelling – Eh?" He stops suddenly, and I notice how his ears twitch a few times as well. Then, all of sudden, he starts moving closer to me.

From instinct I start to inch back, eyes narrowed with panic. "W-what? What are you…" My voice trails off, as I follow the direction where his eye is gazing at. When I do notice what it is, my facial muscles morph a horrified expression. "Where do you think you – Eep!"

He pushes one of his strange animal ears right up against my chest and I lean back like a lightning has stricken down upon the ground. I also plan on raising my fist and punching the living daylights out of the boy, but…

 _Thump!_

"Ow!" The back of my head collides with a tree, one that I hadn't noticed was so close. Tears burn my eyes from the painful sensation because the exact spot where I had injured my head from falling had been hit in this impact. My skull throbs from the back hotly.

"Your clock…" the boy mutters, making every hair on my body stand up straight. He hasn't moved back. "This sound… Are you possibly… an outsider?"

 _Not this again!_ Having had enough I use all my strength to push him away. It actually works. Unlike with Ace, who had had an iron grip when we first met, this boy gets off much easier. He falls down to his rear and I immediately stand up to my staggering feet.

I pant, frown and fume. The strands of my hair are already sticking to the back of my neck from all the sweating I have done – it is irritating. I have no idea, why this boy and Ace are the same. But the similarity of this meeting and that of the brunette's is so staggering familiar, that I fear this boy is more like Ace than he looks.

My suspicious thoughts are cut off, when a green eye starts watering, again. "W-why d-did y-you push m-me away?"

I flinch, suddenly seeing this obviously grown up man – his physique is kind of thin, though – as a very small child. It is like back when my brother had been younger and when even slightest joke about him had caused the waterworks to open.

When I stay silent, the strangely dressed man becomes a mess. He is literally shaking like a leaf and the ears on top of his head have flattened down. "D-do you h-hate m-me, n-n-now?"

My back meets with the tree again. Though, this time I am careful not to hurt my head. _What is up with him!?_

"Hate you?" I ask slowly and raise an eyebrow incredulously. "I don't even know you!"

He blinks, stares for a short while, before opening his mouth again. "Then… can I get a kiss?"

Now, it is my turn to blink and stare. "Eh?"

"That means yes! Chuuuuu!" He sprouts up immediately with a large smile, arms reaching outwards and closer within seconds.

I stiffen, eyes widening in horror and watch as his puckered-up lips move forward. I am like a deer caught in headlights but manage to let out a loud yelp and hold my hands forward like a shield.

"No! Get away!" I scream, absolutely horrified and disgusted by his sudden nearness, especially his face that keeps coming closer. My palms splatter against his chest, but that doesn't seem to stop him from stretching his neck nor his own hands from grabbing my face.

Despite showing what kind of a crybaby he is just a second ago, my screaming and resistance don't reach his unique ears at all. "Chuuuu!"

 _Chuu – what!?_ Gritting my teeth, I keep on pushing and turn my face away with little difficulties from the hands holding it in place. I close my eyes tightly together. I am actually scared. A little while ago, I got him to move away so easily, but now it feels like he has the strength of ten men. "Get away you pervert!"

"Eh?" He stops for a second but doesn't stop trying to move forward. "I am not a pervert. I just want a kiss, chu!"

"Well, I don't!" I scream again and actually ball my right hand into a fist and slam it against his chest. "Get away already!"

Suddenly, a long whistle breaks the panic going through my scattered mind. Even this strange man stops his advances and I can actually feel how his muscles become stiff. He hadn't been the one to let out that sound.

"Well now… I didn't expect the two of you become so well acquittanced."

There is no mistaking it. That amused, light-hearted voice belongs to Ace. It causes my eyes to fly open and stare directly at his form standing just a few feet ahead. He is relaxed – a very familiar smile that I am used to is on his face – and simply continues staring at me and the animal-eared man like it is completely normal.

But, I do not find anything normal in this situation. I am pinned against a tree, with a stranger trying to invade my personal space and it must all look very suspicious. Almost like the two of us are lovers or something, but that is not the case here. I am actually feeling mortified that even Ace can look so collected and calm while watching this unfold before him. _How long has he even stood there!?_

I stop breathing. Literally, it becomes physically impossible for me to draw in oxygen. I had thought that the red knight had left, but he is here. The question is 'why' and 'how' long had he been around the area. Or… had he been watching me the whole time? The silent question makes my stomach turn around. Until I fully process his comment and can suddenly draw in the air again.

Taking advantage of the knight's appearance, I push the frozen man off me and take few, but large steps away from both men.

"A-ace!" I start, not knowing what else to say after. I glance between him and the other man, instead, and then turn back to look at his red eyes. "Do you know him?"

He laughs lightly. "Of course," he says and then looks at the other man who stiffens up even further. "We know each other _really_ well."

"T-t-the k-knight," the animal-like man stutters out and I notice for the first time that he even has a long brown tail. It is straight and stiff like the rest of his form and I process things further by realizing that he actually sounds frightened.

My gaze slides curiously towards Ace. He is still smiling, but… he seems different. He doesn't say anything and keeps on staring at the other man. Without blinking or moving. Completely ignoring my presence. It is odd because I do not expect this kind of stillness from him and look back at the reddish-haired man. He is suddenly acting strangely as well. Even though he is obviously someone who can easily cry and then jump from joy – I shiver from remembering that moment he had bounced on me – now he really looks like a spooked animal. _What is up with these two?_

I swallow thickly and take a very tiny step back. The adrenaline in my veins has lessened and now I am simply standing still, confused. I am not the type of person who can read the atmosphere really well, but I don't like the current one in the air. It makes my stomach hurt from nervousness.

The pregnant and short silence is cut, when the shorter man – the one with ears – whirls around and makes a mad dash away.

"T-the scary knight!"

He is gone before I can blink, disappearing behind the bushes and trees as he had never been in the area, to begin with. I am left alone with Ace, who keeps on staring towards the direction where the male had run off to.

Another silence follows, but not the same one that was before it. Instead, it is merely quiet between the two of us.

"Ace?" I call out to him, gaining his attention. I am a little nervous again, but not so much as before. Rather, I am glad that my assaulter ran away. "Where did you go? You suddenly disappeared."

He seems confused for a second, but the lets out a laugh. "Sorry, sorry. I just saw that the mouse was around and had to go and chase him."

 _Chase him? Like a cat and… did he say mouse?_ That would explain those ears and tail, but I am still left dumbfounded. I had thought that this world couldn't get any weirder, yet, I am shocked. It isn't seemingly enough that the sky changes without warning or order or that there are people without faces walking around the place. It makes me wonder what else I have not seen yet. And frankly, I hope that I will never find out. At least, not any time soon. That so-called 'mouse' had honestly scared me more than the faceless and their attack from earlier today.

"That reminds me…" Ace drawls out and is suddenly advancing forward. He walks calmly, but the pace he uses is fast enough to make my spine stiffen. Soon enough the knight is a mere foot away, standing and staring down at me with a smile. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I~?"

He says it so suggestively, that it is not hard to figure out the meaning. I bristle and shake my head wildly, fear and nervousness long forgotten towards Ace, feeling deep disgust that he could even think like that.

"No! Definitely **no**! He just came out of nowhere and tried to k…" the words get stuck into my throat for a moment, "kiss… me."

Ace hums and leans back, before twisting his neck so he is looking where the mouse had run off to. "Maybe I should have really gone after him."

I frown a little from his words, but then get curious. "Do you hate him, or something? You sound like it."

He laughs again and looks at me straight into the eyes. "Hate is such a strong word. I am actually surprised that he came back here, considering that nobody really likes him. Oh, well," he shrugs. "I am sure he will crawl back to his hole, now."

"Huh?" I actually start to feel bad for that mouse now. He had been a bit creepy and a pervert, but I can't exactly hate him. After all, he did cry buckets and had looked so scared for a second – scared of this knight, that is.

Though, I should be fleeing like the mouse had, as well. Even now, as I look up at Ace, half of me is shaking from recalling the moment he took the lives of those faceless people. There is no way I can ever forget how he had smiled even after that, and after showing me his bloodied hand. I had even touched him in worry, not having known any better. Also, he is smiling all the time, so I can't really tell what he is thinking. It is frightening, but I have ended up with him again.

I bite down on my tongue, feeling desperation causing something inside of me to crumble. _I wish he would have just left me._ I look to the side sadly. The nervousness is returning and making my gut twitch.

Ace tilts his head again. "Shall we continue our adventure?"

 _This isn't even an adventure. More like a very bad horror movie._ Of course, I have to raise my head and look up at him. He may be dense, but I don't want to raise any suspicions about my behavior. "…Yeah."

It isn't like I can say 'no' anymore.

"Alright, follow me," he says, and I have to swallow a protesting sound in my throat. It isn't like I know where to go either, so it doesn't matter if the two of us get lost.

* * *

The time passes, and the sky has changed once again. This time, instead of the night period, the sun has climbed up in the middle of the sky within seconds. It's strange – the nature seems to put something like a curtain over its roof so easily and effortlessly that it is scary. I am not sure whether I understand how it works or does it even have an order.

I pull the covers over myself, gazing up at the tent's roof while flames of a campfire from outside flicker brightly. The bright orange and gold do not reflect on my mood, however. I feel completely opposite of those things. _We didn't get anywhere today either._ I am truly beginning to think that Ace is doing all of this on purpose and if not then I am truly screwed up no matter what his true character is.

Though, I am also feeling irritated and tired. I wish that sleep would come easily, but I start turning around instead and opening and closing my eyes probably between minutes. I can't fall asleep, for some reason.

A shiver goes down my spine and I curl up into a ball, recalling today's crazy event with that strange mouse boy. Like Ace, he looked a bit stranger – _definitely the strangest_ – but turned into a total creep when trying to approach me as he did. My hand automatically goes to my chest, above my heart where the muscle is beating wildly from uncomfortableness. He had listened to my heartbeat, just like the red knight, and had called me an 'outsider', just like both Ace and that Julius person. Why? Have they never heard a heartbeat before?

The latter thought is ridiculous, but at the same time, I get a clenching sensation into my gut. My mind goes off to remember how Ace had easily carried me while escaping a bear, how he had been covered in blood without injuries even after bullets had been fired by the faceless… Those things hadn't made any sense then and they do not make sense now. And also, there is a matter of those strange ears that mouse creature had. Were they real? Honestly, I pray that I have hit my head too hard and that am seeing things.

Very slowly, my eyes open once again and trail towards Ace. He is sitting outside and has his back turned to me, but in a way so that I can see half of his profile. He is smiling and if I strain my ears, I think I can hear a faint sound of humming.

I know that I have been thinking like this for a while, but I am doing it again – _he is so weird._ Not in a good way, though. I have always thought that I and Cass are the only goofy ones around our peers, but this man is taking it to a whole new level. I don't feel like fooling around him, he is doing it already, to begin with. Usually, I would have either grinned like a fool around a stranger or said something completely ridiculous, but I have done none of that.

Is this how uneasy and scared I am of him?

"Can't sleep?"

My mouth dries, but I nod a bit, looking straight back into Ace's red eyes. "Yeah."

"Want me to join you?" He asks, keeping that smile I have almost grown used to by now.

His words don't register in my head immediately, maybe because how absurd they are. But when they do, I frown. " _No_. Absolutely not."

"Aw. Cold," he chuckles and goes back to pocking the fire. It has begun to die out.

I bite down on my lower lip, thinking over what has been going through my head this entire time. Without taking my eyes off from Ace, I can feel how my heartbeat starts rising in nervousness. Cold sweat travels down my spine from a sudden thought that enters my head and I curl my fingers into fists, struggling to decide what to do.

It's hard to read what this man is thinking. He seems to be very cheerful all the time, with his bright disposition never wavering. He has not shown any violence towards me, though, there have been moments where he has been dragging me along without any regard to my opinion. I can only think that he leaves a confliction impression of himself, but what bugs me the most is what he would think if I made a request right now.

Suddenly, the brunette turns to look at me again. "You are going to burn holes into me with that stare." Shame from getting caught flushes my features for a second, but then those emotions die out when he asks: "Can I listen to your heartbeat?"

 _Again, with this._ My entire body slumps from exasperation I am getting from his familiar question. It's both disturbing and scary. _At least he is asking._

There is silence and I glance up questioningly, but then stiffen from seeing that the pair of red eyes has not stopped staring at me intently. Uncomfortableness returns tenfold and I shift inside my sleeping bag nervously.

"No," I finally say and lay back down, fully intending to fall asleep quickly.

Instead of taking my answer seriously this time as well, the brunette calls out from next to the fire. "Then, how about this?"

Carefully, I look through the opening of the tent again, not really sure why I should listen to his suggestions. I raise my eyebrow as if challenging him to do his worst, which is not what I really want.

Seeing that I am listening again, Ace turns around on the ground to sit so that he is fully facing the tent now. He crosses his legs and with an innocent smile says: "How about I will let you listen to my _heart_ instead?"

I frown and shake my head. " _No_."

His smile falls into a pout. "Why not? That way it will be fair for both of us."

 _I think mainly for you,_ I almost let those words slip out. A very tired sigh leaves from my lips, though, despite my frustrated demeanor I feel uneasy. "Why would I even want that?"

"Because unlike an outsider like you," he lets out a small chuckle, "I have no heart. Wouldn't you want to know what is inside this chest instead?"

His declaration makes my frown deepen and I finally sit up with a huff. I cross my arms self-consciously, tired of his vague words. It is as if I am listening to him babbling about right directions again, which has led me to this situation of sleeping inside his tent again. His words do not make sense even when he wants something from me. You would think he would at least try and be reasonable with his request. Also, I can not still fathom what this fascination with my heartbeat is all about – it must be only one of this place's peoples' disturbing tendencies.

When Ace sees me sitting up, he perks up, but I hold my hand up as if it could stop him from coming closer. I am wary, worried, but try to keep my gaze as steady as possible towards his. I recall the bloodbath I saw and bite down my tongue, face probably paling from the horror I felt, and which is trying to crawl back up to my features. _He is a killer,_ the silent voice makes me shudder and I pray it is not visible. Maybe, this is as far as I go with my refusals. I do not want to get to his bad side either.

An image of the blood appearing inside my memories nearly brings up tonight's dinner.

 _It… it's going to be fine._

"…Fine," I say shortly, almost gritting the word out and clenching my hands harder without looking up at Ace again.

"Eh? Really?" He sounds surprised as if doubting hearing me right.

However, before I can even nod or even repeat myself, I hear the sound of rustling clothes and shoes stomping against the ground. I stiffen immediately and look up to see a widely smiling Ace entering the tent, his form blocking any kind of escape route for me.

Whatever reassurance of my safety I still have in my mind is vanishing in the blink of an eye. The smile he has on is charming, welcoming even, but I feel cold from seeing it. It's the same one he has had on this whole time and I am not so sure anymore if it isn't a mask that he uses to hide his true façade. My hands start trembling.

All thoughts disappear, when arms wrap around me and a head full of brown locks is lowered towards my chest. I nearly flinch violently, as soon as the owner of these brown strands presses his ear flush against me. There is a tenseness in every part of my body and for a second, I think my heart stops beating and I expect some kind of pain pierce my flesh like there is a hidden weapon in this tiny space – I expect Ace to do something worse.

However, when his arms simply tighten around me and he continues resting his head on my chest, those horrifying thoughts and images freeze. I am stiff as a statue and keep my eyes strained forward, never once glancing down at the male hugging me in the most awkward position possible.

I try imagining that this is simply my father giving me a warm hug… it's not working. Goosebumps rise on my skin and I just feel _wrong._

"Your heart," Ace mutters, his voice vibrating against my chest and making me grit my teeth, "is beating so loudly… It's nice."

Despite being too uncomfortable and worried for my own wellbeing, I take a note of the slight change in his tone. Slowly, I tilt my head down to feel the ends of his hair tickling my chin and making me stop moving. More physical touches with this man I might as well scream out.

He lets out a hum and I somehow catch a glimpse of his face. His eyes are closed. "You two really are the same. Your heart sounds just like hers."

 _Eh?_ I don't know what to say or who he is talking about. But then, realization dawns upon me and I swallow thickly. _Is he talking about… Lice? Anna? No, it was Alice, right?_ I frown and feel my hands slowly lose their grip on the sleeping bag's fabric. _Is he confusing me with her?_ The thought does not make me more comfortable with all of this, but it does make it clear that this situation has gotten even crazier. _Is that the reason why he keeps me around?_ That would make a lot of sense and my hands clench into fists once again. I am suddenly feeling as if I have an advantage in here.

 _Ba-thump!_

 _Ba-ba-thump!_

 _Ba-thump!_

For a second, I start to feel calm but freeze, when Ace's arms shift around me slightly. They merely change position so that I am even more engulfed by his bizarre embrace. Biting down my lip, I close my eyes, wanting this to be over with. His fingers are firmly clutching the sides of both of my arms that are limply by my side.

 _Ba-thump!_

I pray to the gods and the universe to just end my suffering. My skin has not stopped crawling and every time I feel the warm breath through the fabric of my clothes just raises my anxieties and slight disgust. I recall every time I have hugged some of my friends who weren't exactly huggers and start to realize exactly how they had felt – being hugged when you don't want to, is the worst feeling you could possibly get. Though, the one hugging me is anything but a safe person to be around.

I am trembling.

"I am done~" he suddenly draws back and lets completely go of me. Despite being free, I feel extremely tense and hold my breath when those red orbs open and look at me. Ace blinks once. "Alright! Now, my part of the deal."

My mind grows blank for the second time. He does not notice the expression passing on my face or doesn't care. Nonetheless, his hand finds its way to the back of my head and pulls me close.

At first, I start to struggle even when I am not still being fully pressed against him, but Ace's hold on my head does not waver. Instead, he has my head on his chest in seconds and I stop breathing once I bend down and nearly straddling him. He does not let me move away and that is proven for the second time when his other hand is placed on my back.

I am now mortified and close my eyes again, counting seconds in an unnaturally fast pace and wishing this to be over soon once again.

 _Tick-tock!_

My eyes instantly open and I stare almost blankly towards the other end of the tent. _H-huh?_ I think my hearing has broken.

 _Tick-tock!_

 _Tick-tock!_

 _Tick-tock!_

The sound does not go away nor is it replaced with the normal dull noise similar to muffled drums. There is nothing even close to the sound of heartbeat reaching my ear and I don't even understand what I am hearing anymore.

 _A pocket watch?_ That is the first thing that enters my head after what feels like an eternity has passed. But then it shatters when I can't feel anything round shape or harder than flesh next to the shell of my ear.

The ticking sound continues.

"Gloomy Mouse," Ace's voice pierces the silence like a knife, "is the sound of my clock that interesting?"

I quickly back away, noticing how his hands are no longer touching me. I had stayed still against his chest without realizing it and my lower lip drops.

The knight tilts his head at my expression but does not say anything. We both merely sit still without a word with different expressions on our faces. The red-eyed man is no different from his usual self and keeps on looking at me with a smile. And that is what makes me a bit worried. He is not saying anything, does not look away. So, does that mean he is waiting for me to say something instead? If so, then he is in for a long wait, because I am speechless.

There is no life in my tongue anymore. It's dead still within my mouth and refuses to budge. I can only recall what I just heard through the flesh and bones of this man's chest and stare with a dumbfounded expression.

"A…" the back of my throat feels as if it's being squeezed shut forcefully, "a c-clock?"

The brunette nods and places his hand on the spot where I had been pressing my ear just a while ago. "Yes. Every person in this place has one."

"E-everyone?" Images of the Faceless, of Julius, of that mouse-like boy and the animals, flash in my eyes. Suddenly, I see through their chests and in place of muscles, I picture a clock, ticking away from my earshot.

"Yup!" Ace grins widely, innocently and leans back. He takes one look at my face and then lets out a laugh. "Are you surprised?"

"H-how," I try to form the words with my stuttering voice breaking, "a-are you s-still alive?"

He laughs out loud again like the question is a mere joke. "Hmm? I wonder why indeed!"

I shake my head. He may not understand what I truly am asking him, so I try again with steadier voice. "Are… are you for r-real? How can you be alive w-without a heart?"

"I don't need to have a 'heart'," he says it like it's the most natural thing in the world and that is horrifying. "As long as our clocks are not broken, as long as they keep on moving, we do not need such things. Besides, if we had things that could not be replaced, the 'game' would end."

His words sound so absurd to my ears and I can merely stare at him as if there is an extra head growing on his shoulder. The world spins and all of sudden the ever-changing sky, the Faceless and the boy with ears seem the most natural things in the whole place. Whatever this red-clad knight is babbling is the one thing that is unnatural.

All I can manage to say is in a quiet whisper: "You don't make any sense."

I do not think he heard me, because he looks to the side with a somewhat thoughtful gaze. "But, has a new 'game' already begun? It's strange to have two outsiders around."

 _I am getting a headache,_ I let out a quiet sigh and lay back down, pulling the covers over me as a temporary shield. There is no way that I could understand what the knight is speaking about nor am I sue, if I even want to make sense of it.

The ground is still hard, and I bite down on my lower lip in discomfort. I have no idea how I will keep on surviving nights like this. Even now, my entire body is shaking from what has occurred. Not to mention the ticking sound of the clock has not left from my ears. It continues echoing inside my skull and a shiver goes down my spine. I am getting goosebumps.

 _This is not normal._

My hands clutch the sleeping bag unconsciously.

 _Not normal at all!_

"Gloomy Mouse, are you going to sleep now?" Ace asks curiously, but I do not answer.

My body lays still and I close my eyes tightly. I feel a lump gathering in my throat and preventing any sound from escaping as if making one noise could cause trouble. In spite of the knight not touching me anymore nor us having a physical contact, I feel vulnerable. Now, I truly understand that despite his vague and strange words tonight, he was right about one thing – he has no heart; he is heartless. All of sudden, the way he was able to smile despite being covered in blood makes so much sense.

If everyone in this country is missing a heart, does that mean that they are all like Ace in a matter of personality? Whatever food is still at the bottom of my stomach, its digestion is disturbed by how my intestines start twisting. I know that one's personality isn't based on their inner organs nor what their views on things are. It would be absurd, but…

Ace lets out a sound that sounds like an amused chuckle. "Good night, Gloomy Mouse."

I refuse to react. Especially to that horrible nickname.

* * *

" _How have you been?"_

 _I know it is Nightmare before I can even see him. Despite only seeing him only once in a dream, this second encounter is a bit strange. It is rare for me to dream similar things in a row._

 _I turn around and sure enough, he is floating there with that smoking pipe of his, wearing the same clothes. Even the eyepatch is there. When our gazes lock he gives me a friendly smile and floats a little closer while I stand my ground. Though, the moment he is a mere foot away images of the man dressed in green and another dressed in red within my comfort zone flash in my mind. As a result, my gut clenches and I take a step back from instinct. I shudder. I have already been cornered by two very strange men, I do not need a third one. Even if that one is in a dream. And, even if Nightmare hasn't done anything wrong, yet._

 _He pauses, an expression of surprise overcoming his features. I lower my gaze down to the none-existing ground – at least I can't see anything else but faint colors – and stay silent. Unlike, Ace and the mouse-man, Nightmare is still and doesn't move closer. I remember that he can read minds and probably saw what I had been thinking._

 _Honestly, I am very surprised I can even sleep right now. I can still recall my heartbeat going over the roof when I was hiding under the blanket.  
_

" _You seem to be having a rough time," the grey-haired man comments. But his tone is not mocking and makes me feel somewhat comforted._

 _I let out a heavy sigh. "Tell me about it. I don't even understand what is going on in this place anymore. Or, if you really are simply part of my imagination."_

 _He is silent again and I carefully raise my gaze. His single eye doesn't reveal anything and even his expression is calm and blank. It makes me worried that my guess might be true. He had even stated not being part of my dream the last time we talked. Considering what I have experienced so far now, that doesn't seem so impossible anymore. And it is truly very frightening.  
_

 _ **Though…**_ _I look back up the dream-demon. Thoughts move and fly through my mind without a stop. Last time, he had shown me how weak and sickly he already is, so it is kind of hard to see him as an actual threat now._

 _Nightmare twitches very violently. "Hey! That is kind of mean, isn't it?"_

 _I frown, feeling more than uncomfortable that he can read my mind. I don't even want to know what it would feel like if he really ends up being a real person invading my dreams. It makes my stomach hurt even worse just thinking about it._

 _Once again, he must have read my mind, because he waves his hand dismissingly. "Fine, fine. I will stop reading your thoughts."_

" _How can I be sure you aren't lying?" I ask, but the pause and let out another sigh. "You know what? Never mind. Why are you here?"_

 _A smirk spreads on his lips and he puts the smoking stick between them without saying a word. His single eye looks down at me with something close to amusement. The dream demons entire posture tells that he knows something I don't, which makes me impatient for an answer. And unlike when I had fallen asleep, in here I feel as energetic as I would while awake.  
_

 _Finally, Nightmare speaks. "I am waiting. You have arrived. So, the other one hasn't fallen asleep, yet."_

 _ **The other one?**_ _I watch as a mysterious smile spreads on the grey-haired man's face. He blows another smokescreen and leans back in the middle of the air like relaxing on a chair with his legs crossed. I frown, feeling a bit irritated that he does not answer to my silent question._

 _I look around me as if this another person could arrive at any second. However, I start to think and soon my eyes widen. "Cass. Is she here as well!?"_

 _"Not in the dream world, but in the Country of Hearts, yes," Nightmare says easily, not looking down at my shocked expression._

 _I take a step closer to him. "Is she alright? Where is she?"_

 _The one-eyed man glances down at me once, before looking towards the distance. He is much more at ease than I and not to mention how loudly I feel my heartbeat escalate. It doesn't matter anymore, if this is a dream or if Nightmare is real, all I know is that I could possibly see Cass again. Last time, he had told me that he doesn't know where she is, but now he suddenly does. Doesn't that mean that something has happened?_

" _Nightmare," I clutch my hands close to my chest, "_ _ **please**_ _, tell me where she is."_

" _She is safe and at the same time not," he says slowly and then lowers himself nearly to the ground and looks at me again. "She has gained shelter that may not be currently the safest."_

" _What?" I feel uneasy and frown._

" _You do not have a vial, yet, right?" He asks next, peering deep into my eyes with a serious expression._

 _My frown deepens in confusion. "What vial? What does that-"_

" _If someone tries to give it to you, do_ _ **not**_ _drink it," he ignores my questions and presses forward, his hands suddenly on my shoulders and making me jump. "Otherwise you will not be able to leave this place."_

" _Wait!" I try to shrug him off and succeed. I have to put some distance between us and take a step back while looking at his face sternly. "What vial? I only want to know about Cass! I need to find her! If she is in trouble, I have to!"_

 _A troubled expression passes on his face and he looks to the side again, avoiding my desperate gaze. I do not like that face he is making, it only shows that there is something he is not telling and does not want to reveal to me. My heartbeat is now frantic, and I take another step closer and reach out without thinking. I grab his shoulder and give it a shake._

" _Don't ignore me!" I raise my voice boldly, mind racing with possibilities of what might be happening to my best friend wherever she is. "Where is she? What has happened?"_

 _Suddenly, a trail of red comes out with a cough. I flinch and take a step back, startled when the dream demon starts coughing up blood. Worried for a moment, I don't know what to do and watch him lower himself to the ground while holding his mouth. Surprisingly, when his entire body shakes with the forces of his coughs, he seems much smaller than I originally thought. It's worrisome and I crouch down with hesitance and reach out timidly._

" _I-it i-isn't your," he coughs again, "fault. I j-just have w-weak c-constitution!"_

" _It surely is more than that. For goodness sake! You are coughing blood!" I shake my head and pat his back gently, only to yelp, when he lets out another violent cough. "You need to see a doctor! You are dying!"_

 _He shakes his head in defiance, taking in few deep breaths. "I-I don't. I have b—been like this for a long time."_

" _That is even worse," I breathe out and then lean back. When I look down, there are few drops of blood covering the transparent ground and I bite down on my tongue in regret. Maybe, if I hadn't grabbed him the way I did, then he wouldn't have another fit like this. I forgot – last time he had been like this as well. "I am sorry."_

 _He shakes his head for the second time and looks up at me. "I-it's alright. I'm fine, now."_

 _It's hard to believe him. The pale complexion is even paler now and a dark bag has appeared under his one visible eye. He looks far from healthy, but then suddenly floats back up into the air as if to appear taller. Slowly, I too stand up and look at him with an uncertain face. I still want to ask about Cass but stay silent. I feel as if that is at least I can do to make up for how roughly I had handled this situation._

 _But what if something truly bad has happened to my friend? I wouldn't be able to stand it. Even now the thought makes my hands tremble. The more I think about it, there is a pool of dread gathering in my gut and I clench my fists tighter. Honestly, I am someone who believes in supernatural rather easily, I am no true realist, but with a bit of common sense, anyone could tell that this all is really happening. With this conclusion, this isn't a dream in a dream anymore, but part of the reality I am living in. I have already gone through more than enough to think that anything is possible in this place – there is no way that Nightmare can be part of my imagination anymore. He knows what he is talking about. I have a reason now to believe that my friend is in trouble._

 _An image of that pink hair flowing in the wind, her skirt fluttering during the last seconds that I saw her disappear into the thick woods… I wonder if I hadn't chased her or had I been faster, would I have been able to avoid all of this._

" _I am sorry," I repeat myself, eyes gazing at nothing below me, "I just really need to find her."_

"…" _Nightmare doesn't say anything for a while._

 _We stay silent, the space around us equally unmoving. However, soon, I find a sudden blast of bitter smoke being blow up against my face and blanch back in a coughing fit. Tears gather in my eyes and I cover my face quickly. I nearly fall from shock._

" _W-what in t-the name of j-jellies!" I take another huge step back, away from the smoke's range and glare up at innocently smiling Nightmare. "What was that for!?"_

 _He lets out a chuckle, causing me to fume in anger. I am trying to be serious here and he just…_

" _You can't survive in this world using common sense, Lily," he inhales from his pipe with a pause. "What is sensible, what is senseless, they are all reversed in this place. Logic has no rules, dreams are reality and there are no borders between life and death. We are alive, yet we aren't. You see me when I am both in the past and the future. I am but a child, but an adult at the beginning."  
_

 _I frown, remembering all those strange riddles Ace was speaking about before I fell asleep. Nightmare is doing that as well, now._ _ **They are alive yet aren't.**_ _I recall my ear pressed against the knight's chest, the sound of the clock._

" _Cassie is in the castle."_

" _What?" My eyes widen when everything starts to disorientate, and Nightmare's image becomes blurrier._

" _Though, it may be too late for her. She has already taken the vial."_

 _Something sinks in my chest. "W-what does that mean?"_

 _A strange, distant wind blows. The shapes that are supposed to be a clear blur and crack. I cover my face again when the stench of smoke hits my face and stings my eyes and nose. I am losing my senses and feel a sense of panic seize me. I do not want to wake up. Not when I am so close to finding answers._

" _I told you, didn't I?"_

 _The voice of the dream demon reaches my muffled ears and my eyes remain closed as my body experiences the strange paralyzing effect.  
_

" _Those who take it can't return to their world…"_

 _I can't see anything anymore._

 _ **No. I need to know…**_

" _A new game needs to be finished first."_

 _ **Cass!**_

* * *

When I wake up, I keep my eyes closed, as if still in a dream world. However, my mind is almost immediately scattered, and it takes a while for me to distinguish the events from reality and that of my subconsciousness. The thoughts grow more and more frantic until I can't think straight anymore. _Cass is alive, maybe. He wasn't specific what her state is… I hope she is alright._

I can't possibly stay in this place any longer. I have to find my friend and soon. Nightmare has given me a clue where she might currently be, so that is where I will have to go!

Not being able to take it anymore – just staying still and trying to sort things out mentally isn't enough – I open my eyes in frustration and tiredness from waking up. I can already hear the birds chirping outside, so the sky must have changed back into its blue color, and has white clouds on it already.

However, to my shock, I do not see the ceiling of the tent the very second my lids slide open. Instead, I see red eyes blink down at me, brownish and spiky hair and one crescent smile that makes my spine stiffen. My lower lip drops in shock and horror.

"Ace!? What are you doing!?" My voice is shrill, any kind of morning tiredness that I might have is not there and I pull the sleeping bag closer with suddenly firm hold on its fabric.

The brunette tilts his head with a laugh from my reaction. "What it looks like. I am watching you."

I can't talk for a moment and have to clear my throat. "W-why? Can… can you get off?"

"Sure!" He pipes up and immediately leans away, leaving me flabbergasted and frozen in my sleeping bag.

 _W-what was that?_ I blink once and sit up to see him exit the tent as if nothing happened. I frown and start to crawl out of my warm comfort, despite that being the last thing I want to do. But waking up to Ace watching me has sent a cold wave across my body that is now screaming for me to get moving. That is just another thing that he has done to creep me out and it isn't normal this time either. _Just how long did he watch me?_ It could be possible that he was doing so before I even woke up and that makes me shudder. And I was merely keeping my eyes closed without knowing that he was even close.

I feel wary and quickly check my clothes and body for any peculiarities. I find Cass' drawings still within my pockets, wrinkled and safe. As for anything else, nothing seems to be amiss. Though, maybe he did something to my face? To make sure that isn't possible, I use the back of my sleeves to wipe my features harshly.

He was too quick to agree to get off. It's like Ace did this out of boredom or amusement and my face flushes in irritation, which soon fades. My mind wonders to my still missing best friend almost like from a snap of a finger.

 _Cass,_ I look out to see the red cape flutter on a branch. It's a reminder for me who is still in the area and I start stiffly making my way out of the tent.

"Hey, Ace?" I ask carefully when I am standing outside and watch him cook on the fireplace.

He turns to look at me over his shoulder and I feel my muscles tense up from his red orbs' attention. "Hm? What is it?"

Swallowing thickly, I lock my hands together behind my back. "Do you… you mentioned something about a castle when we met?"

"Did I?" He asks back innocently, smiling with something I can only call 'mischievousness'. But then he turns to look at the fire again. "I am a knight from the Castle of Hearts. Which reminds me, I haven't been there for a while."

I ignore how he seems to be ready to merely wonder out loud and speak out again. "Is it the only castle around here? Could you take me there?"

His eyes turn to look at me again. It seems that my request might have caught him off guard. "You want to go to the castle?"

"Y-yes," I nod, a bit hesitant what he might be thinking.

"Didn't you want to find your friend first?" He asks.

My hands clench behind my back. I am definitely not sure what he is thinking, now. Could I just say that I heard from this 'dream-demon' that my friend is there and that is why we need to hurry? That sounds like something out of an asylum. Although, Ace hasn't exactly represented himself as the mentally healthiest person in the world. But, now that I think about it, my request would sound sudden to anyone. And the worst part is that I haven't come up with the reason for that either. Should I lie?

Looking at the knight's patiently waiting face I feel coldness spread around my limbs. I am starting to get worried that if he finds out about my lie or can tell it immediately, I would get into trouble.

" _Do_ _ **not**_ _step over the line."_

Nightmare's words from my first encounter with him suddenly ring in my head. Hesitantly, I look back up at Ace to see him tilt his head in confusion – I have been too silent for too long. I wish that the grey-haired man would have made this one specific as well. Where does this line exactly reach?

I recall another thing he told me.

" _You can't survive in this world using common sense, Lily."_

I inhale deeply, praying that what I now know won't be my undoing later. I just need to go with my instincts for a short while.

"She is in the castle."

Ace blinks and continues smiling. "How do you know? Oh! Do you two perhaps hear each other's thoughts?"

"No," I say, feeling a bit irked from his tone. He is probably taking this as a joke, as far as his grin is concerned. "Could… could we just go there, _please_?"

The knight turns back around so that his back is facing me and lets out a deep 'hmm' sound. I become anxious, but do not take a step closer and stay on my spot like a statue. My mind is filled with the images of my friend, though, and my heart starts beating faster from waiting for an answer.

"You said that you will help me find her," I blurt out, holding back an accusing tone.

Ace whirls around on a tree trunk he found from somewhere and faces me with a thoughtful look. He rests his head on his palm, making him look even more considering towards my words. "Now, that I think about it, won't you leave once you find her?"

"Of course," I say like it's the most obvious thing in the world, much like he has done so far. But what I don't get, is why he is even asking me this.

He makes another humming noise but then meets my gaze with a smile. Ace stands up with hands on his hips. "But that would mean that I won't have my camping partner around anymore, right?"

I frown and glance down at his hip where a long sword is attached to. My blood freezes for a second, but I try to relax my shoulders and face Ace head-on with every bit of confidence I have left. For some reason, I do not like where this reasoning of his going.

"Yes."

His smile does not change from my answer. "Then, I am not so sure, if I want to find this other outsider."

Irritation grows, it bubbles within my gut like lava. I can't believe what I am hearing – it's an excuse used by a child. "Then… I can leave, right now. I will find her by myself."

Ace lets out a laugh from my answer. His gaze does not waver from mine. "But aren't you just as lost as I am, Gloomy Mouse? Can you really find her?"

"…I will," I say, but it sounds like a lie. I do not even know where I am standing – I do not know almost anything about this place. What is dangerous, where I shouldn't go, what I shouldn't do and where to head next…

 _Who am I kidding?_

Ace is a creep, there is no more complex or fitting definition I could give to his tendencies and mannerism. One moment he is somewhat pleasant and then suddenly I find my blood pressure rising. He is also dangerous, not hesitating to use that weapon on his person as I half-witnessed. Also, Nightmare never said that I should leave him or run away. That dream demon has gained a few points for telling me of Cass, a debt I do not know how to repay. So, this knight isn't someone who is considered as a full threat, for now.

He also seems to want me to stay with him, for some strange reason. My gut clenches from the next few thoughts that enter my head and I feel as if I have had this inner struggle with myself before – I have. I have to decide whether I continue sticking with this brunette or make it somehow on my own. The latter seems a bit impossible, considering how spooked out I was at first when I came here and how scared I have gotten from every single thing.

Unlike me, Ace lives here. He knows the people and the ways they live here, just like with Julius who I couldn't speak with without wanting to hide somewhere. Not to mention the knight has an easygoing attitude. I am not too sure, if it's his real face or a mask, though.

"What if," I take in a deep breath, heartbeat picking up its pace, "what if I decide to stay with you, even after finding Cass?"

This gets his interest, I can tell. His head rises an inch and there is a certain glimmer in his eyes. Not to mention he drops his hands from his sides and actually appears much more relaxed than before. Now, I realize why I felt a bit uneasy before when he had stood up.

"Really? Aren't you going to run away as soon as the two of you meet?" He asks back and takes a step closer to me, but there is still that lightness in his tone. He is listening, he is paying attention to whatever I am about to say.

My throat feels tight. "I won't I promise."

He shakes his head a bit, still smiling. "Promises can be broken, Gloomy Mouse~"

"Not if you have something important to me," I say, forcing those words out despite a sudden stab in my chest.

Red eyes blink in curiosity.

Very slowly, but with shaky hands, I reach for underneath my right sleeve and pull out something from around my wrist. Another stab pierces my heart and I force my fist to open. It's a bracelet. A rather plain one, to be honest, made out of small wooden pearls that have been colored with light pink paint that has begun to wear out.

I hate this – Ace's sudden possessiveness over me, someone who he barely knows. It's alarming me about his personality, but there is really no going back, now. And I have to pay the price if I ever want to escape him.

 _A psychopath._

"This," I swallow the lump in my throat, "was given to me by someone important. I do not want to lose it."

I hold it out, struggling with my trembling hand. I will not look at Ace to see what kind of face he is making. I know that I will not be able to stand it.

A gloved hand reaches out and touches the bracelet. My skin burns from the brief contact. A phantom sensation of the wooden accessory is left behind when it is lifted away from my reach. There is a third stab into my chest.

"You really will stay, if I have this?" He asks.

I give a small nod, still not looking up. My mouth has formed a thin line and I fight an urge to take what was mine back. But I have to endure this all, for Cass. Even though I know that this is definitely the last time I will hold that bracelet ever again.

"Gloomy Mouse~"

With a willpower I did not know to possess, I raise my head to look at the smiling knight. He sounds and looks happy, which makes me clench my now empty hands.

He reaches out and touches the top of my head lightly, the bracelet is clutched in his other hand right below my line of sight. "We have a deal!"

I wish he will see the emotions seething in my eyes.


End file.
